SBF (Discontinued)
by TrinityVex34
Summary: When Cinder is warped into an unknown world and meets none other than Courier Six, she must stay close to him in order to survive. But Cinder isn't the only one to arrive in the Mojave, only time will tell what will happen, read to find out!
1. It all began on that day

For those who don't know, this is a re-write of my fic Sand, Blood, and Fire. With the help of commanderpill I re-did the fanfic. He helped me with understanding both the characters of RWBY and the companions of Fallout New Vegas.

Beacon Tower

Cinder had done it. She had won this battle. As she notched the final arrow to finally finish off young huntress, the red-hooded girl ran up the side of the tower, reaching the top of the tower seconds before the arrow would pierce Pyrrha's heart. But the most interesting thing about the perfectionist were her last words.

"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked with a glare that could pierce through hardened metal.

Cinder smiled before delivering her answer. "Yes." She said, before firing the arrow strait through her heart. She walked up to the beautiful warrior, talking her time so that by the time Cinder reached her, she would be nothing but dust. But just before she was turned to ash, she managed croak out one more thing.

Tears began to well up in Pyrrha's eyes. She thought about what she could have done. She had been too rash, and in that condemned herself to death. But what worried her most would be Juane's mental stability. 'Oh god, why did I do this. Jaune, oh Jaune. What have I done?' Pyrrha thought with regret. Why didn't she just call Glynda? Why didn't she wait? Why did she do this? Why? Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. A sharp source of pain in her chest. She looked down to find the one of Cinder's arrows deep within her abdomen.

It was then that Ruby Rose arrived at the top of the tower. She saw it. This would be the second friend she would lose today. Unimaginable amounts of sadness started to well up within the young huntress. She saw Cinder caressing Pyrrha's tiara. Then she disintegrated into thin air.

"PYRRHA!" Ruby cried, waves of white light pouring out of her eyes.

"What?!" Cinder shouted in shock. If she wanted to survive this she would need to act fast. She swiftly summoned a shield of energy to block the blast of white light. Suddenly, a large electrical storm started to form, enveloping around Cinder. A large, black hole started to form, its forceful pull dragging Cinder towards it. She tried to dig her heels into the ground trying to resist the pull of the hole. Then, as if she was being sucked up by a straw, she was launched into the hole as she lost control.

She could see nothing. Then, in the distance she could see a small bright light. As she was being propelled, the light grew larger and brighter. 'So, this is the literal form of the light at the end of the tunnel?' Cinder thought to herself.

Courier Six

It was a hot day in the Mojave wasteland. Courier six decided to leave the confines of his palace, the Lucky 38, and take a trek out in the Mojave. He put on his patrolman sunglasses and adjusted his duster. Well, it wasn't technically his duster, it was one of Ulysses' spare dusters. But he was a nice guy, and would return it, one of these days. The Courier looked at his pip-boy, admiring the menagerie of weapons he had acquired over the past few months. He had grown very fond of using explosives, and any weapon that harnessed them. But if the situation required it, the Courier could also wield melee weapons, his favorite being the protonic inverse axe he had acquired from Big Mountain.

As he walked out of the north gate, the Courier gave a heavy sigh. He had just remembered that he needed to patrol around the Mojave to see if there were any newly set deathclaw or cazador nests established recently.

A few hours had passed and the Courier had found no signs of any new nests of either cazadors or deathclaws, which was certainly a good thing. However, there was one place, _that place_ that the courier had to go, Quarry Junction. Quarry Junction was the one place the courier had refused to clear out. He had managed to clear out the outskirts of the area, he would pick off some deathclaws from time to time, but he never mounted a full out assault on the nest of deathclaws. He would first go to Sloan, a small settlement he had a friendly reputation with. By now the settlement was long since abandoned due to the courier pushing the NCR out of New Vegas. He looked on the abandon shacks with sorrow and sadness.

He moved on to the old bar, moving his fingers along the dust covered bar top. He looked up at his dust covered glove and have a light sigh. It had been so long since he had seen them, laughed with them, joked with them, cried with them. He had considered them family and Sloan a home away from home. The courier reflected on all he had done both in the Mojave and outside of it. He had helped the Dead Horses and Sorrows fight back against the white legs in Zion. He had discovered the story of the Sierra Madre and had gotten away with all the gold he could carry. He had been lobotomized in the Big Mountain and had regained his brain from Dr. Mobius. He had traversed the divide and witnessed the result of his actions. He had managed to talk Ulysses out of killing him, and managed to help him in the final battle at Ulysses' temple against the marked men.

And that was just outside of the Mojave, inside it, the courier had saved Goodsprings from powder gangers, kill the legion in Nipton, helped Jason Bright and his followers to their 'Great Journey', he had wiped out cottonwood cove, assisted the local Brotherhood of Steel chapter, slaughtered Caesar and the rest of the legion in the fort single handedly, and to top it all off, he had taken Hoover Dam with an army of robots. Because of all the things he had achieved he was able to sustain an independent New Vegas, but was all the bloodshed really worth it? Was it truly the price he was willing to pay for it all? Well he was unable to change the past, and he certainly didn't want to start getting another case of the old-world blues, so he decided to leave the abandon bar. As he moved on to the barracks of the small outpost, he thought about how Lone was doing. About five weeks after the battle of Hoover Dam, Six decided it would be best to set up a communication line with the east coast after the word of The Lone Wanderer's exploits reached New Vegas.

Six thought it would be beneficial to start the repair of the communication line across the continent. He sent four Securitron squads of eight to being to repair it. Five months later he had established contact with Lone. They would talk for hours, talking about each of their exploits, places they explored, and people they met. Hell, they even shared a few jokes from time to time. The jokes were mainly that of gallows' humor due to the depressing state of each of their regions. It was one of the few things that Six looked forward to in life nowadays.

But Six had a job to do, so he moved on and began scoping out the Quarry Junction deathclaw nest. As he began to scope out the junction, he noticed something that set off many alarms in his head. First of all, why was a woman with nothing but a silk dress on and a bow and arrow in hand, in the middle of a deathclaw nest. What was even more shocking was when the younglings charged at her, she shot fire from the palms of her hands. The younglings went running towards the matriarch of the nest.

If Six knew _anything_ about pack creatures, it's that when the young ones come running home injured, momma gonna be PISSED. And as Six expected, the mother deathclaw charged the young woman. As he would expect, she was visibly shocked. What worried Six was that she was paralyzed in fear. She didn't even try to run. It was as if she was a statue. If he wanted to save her he only had one option. He equipped the flare gun he obtained in the Divide and slid down the slope, rushing the Deathclaw Matriarch. It swiveled its head at Six, giving the young woman more time to run. However she was still stuck with fear. Six aimed the flare gun at the Mother deathclaw, and fired. The giant mother gave out a gut-wrenching howl before running off to her nest. Six ran up to the woman and swooped her up bridal style and began to yell obscenities.

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" Six yelled running back to Sloan. Once he arrived back at the mining outpost, he rushed back into the abandoned bar and let the woman get back on her feet.

"Are you ok?" Six asked in-between breaths.

"Y-yea." The woman said, a bit shaken up.

"Well that's good. Why were you there?" Six questioned.

"I, I honestly don't know. One minute I was trying to take cover from a blast, and the next I'm here." Cinder explained.

"Hm. Are you familiar with this region?" Six asked.

"It's called Vacuo, right?" Cinder asked.

"I'm afraid not. This place is called the Mojave Wasteland. I'm assuming this Vacuo place is quite a ways away. What's it like?" Six asked as he took a seat at an old table.

"Well its mostly a desert." Cinder said bluntly.

"By the way, what's your name?" Six asked, a bit curious. He had never heard of Vacuo, and by the sounds of it this young lady was certainly raised to be more of a sophisticated person. The best part about her was her looks. Six was by no means an immoral sort of man, but truth be told, she was the most attractive woman he had ever seen. From her black locks to her amazing legs, she had it all, and by Six's intuition, she would be a very rare sort of person to come by.

"Cinder Fall, and yours?" Cinder asked.

"Courier Six, but you can just call me Six." He said.

"Six, huh? Interesting name." Cinder said. She thought about who this man was. Was he a rogue-like scoundrel, or a high-ranking official? She honestly couldn't tell, but what she _could_ tell is that he was extremely calm considering the previous position the two of them were in. She would need to stay close to him. It looked as if he knew he way around the region and could keep a cool head in the midst of battle, both attributes being of the utmost importance during combat.

She also noticed that he was occasionally glancing at her in… suggestive ways. From her deductions, he appeared to be attracted or at the very least, interested in her. That was something she could use to her advantage.

"See anything you like?" Cinder said with a mischievous smile.

"Yea, can I get the whole package?" Six shot back with a lecherous smirk of his own.

Cinder Fall

Was Six flirting with her? If he was he wasn't doing half bad. Then he stopped talking all at once, as if he came to a full stop. The old bar was covered in an eerie silence, only some light footsteps could be heard from the outside. Six motioned at Cinder to hide behind the bar. As she took cover she could see him unsheathing a combat axe with what appeared to be an electrical blade and drawing a silver pistol from its holster. Three voices could be heard, two men and a female.

"Come on guys! I swear I heard a female's voice! I _really_ want to get with her if we capture her alive!" The youngest of the two men said.

"If that happens, then I get the guy." The female said with excitement.

"Let's go get these bastards!" The oldest sound man shouted before kicking in the door. Six aimed and fired at the head of the first man. The remaining two took cover behind the wall on the outside. He then strolled out casually, cleanly cleaving the head of the woman.

"Come on man! I didn't mean what I said, I swear!" the young man pleaded.

"Do you swear?" Six interrogated the young powder ganger.

"Y-yea man, please just let me live!" He continued to plead.

"When begging for your life… you should remember to do two things. One, try to entertain the person holding the gun to your head. Number two, give them a convincing reason to let you live. So… LETS HEAR IT!" Six shouted.

"I… I… I'm going to kill you!" the young man shouted, pulling up and aiming his pistol at Six's head.

Cinder could hear Six shouting at one of the assaulters. She began to slowly emerge from her cover to investigate the scene of the short skirmish when she heard a shot from the outside. She ran out to find Six holding his pistol to the head of the third man's head, a large exit wound prevalent at the back of the man's head. She grimaced at the scene as she scanned around Six to find the other two… combatants. It was a gruesome sight, that was undeniable, but at the same time it was nice to know Six could handle himself in a fight.

"Cinder, I think it's time to go. There are most likely more where that came from, so we should move." Six said, holstering his pistol.

"Who were those people?" Cinder asked.

"Powder gangers. Mainly low lever criminals. There's an NCR detention facility a few miles away. It would do us well to avoid the area. While the people there are all rotting corpses, there are some more… terrifying beasts feeding on them. Instead we should go to a military outpost. We can get a good night's sleep and move on in the morning." Six said.

"That's sound good, security while we sleep." Cinder exclaimed.

"Exactly. Now let's get a move on. We don't want to be caught outside when the nightfall arrives." Six said, motioning for her to follow him.

"Don't you think what you did to those people was a bit overkill?" Cinder asked.

"In the wasteland, there is no such thing as overkill. Whatever it takes to survive is what is warranted." Six said as stopped to scout ahead with his binoculars.

And That's Fin!

What did you think? Tell me in a review!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Hostile Region

Again, a big thanks to commanderpill for assisting me on this chapter!

Cinder Fall

Cinder was quite impressed. The two colossal men made entirely out of the scrap metal. The two metal giants were shaking the other's hand. Six had told her about the alliance between the NCR and the Nevada Rangers. They had cemented an alliance to take on a common enemy, The Legion. The Legion, from what Six would tell her, was an evil faction in all forms of the word. They would enslave women, take the combat-worthy men from a tribe, and crucify the rest. They were entirely built upon a military structure, with Caesar at the top, his Legate just under him, centurions under the Legate, and the cannon fodder under the centurion.

"Come on Cinder! Don't you want something to eat?" Six asked, waving her towards the mess hall of the outpost. As they walked towards the building, Cinder noticed that Six and by some extension herself, were getting glares from the common infantry.

"Six?" Cinder asked, a bit worried about their safety.

"Yea, what is it?" Six asked, looking over his shoulder with a quizzical look on his face.

"Why are we getting glared at?" She asked, hopping to get an answered out of him that would give her some info about his standing with the NCR.

"Oh, that? Yea, I kind of tossed their general off of the Hoover Dam." Six explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"You did?" Cinder asked, a bit amused that he would chose that form of death for the high ranking official.

"Well… not me per say, but one of my robots." Six said with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh. Well at least the blood isn't on your hands." Cinder said.

"While that may be the case, I can assure you the average foot-soldier doesn't see it that way." Six said, holding the door open for Cinder.

"You've got some nerve coming back here, Six." A stern looking woman said, glaring behind a bar counter at Six.

"Don't worry, we're just swinging by for the night, after that we'll be out of here." Six said with his arms raised up defensively.

"You better be." The woman said as she glared daggers at Six. He walked over to Cinder and lead her to an empty table with a worried look on his face.

"Cinder, watch your back while we're here. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel as if we're being followed." Six whispered, pulling Cinder's head closer to his in a secretive huddle. "If they act, I'll deal with them, understood? I don't want you getting tangled up in my problems, got it?" Six asked with pleading eyes.

"Sure, but once we get out of here I want you give me some answers to some questions I have about this place." Cinder said in a hushed tone.

"Got it, but right now just keep your head down and don't make a scene." Six said, materializing some gecko steaks for the two of them. "Bon Apatite." Six said in a grim tone. The two of them ate in silence, Six thinking about where the next safe town was, and Cinder thinking about the mystery that was Six's past. After the two had finished their meal, they got up and strolled over to the cots.

"Cinder, it looks like there's only one bed open. You can take it, I'll stand guard." Six said, pulling a chair next to the open bed.

"Are you sure? It looks like we could share the bed." Cinder pointed out.

"Sharing a bed with someone you barely even know?" Six questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Point taken, good night Six." Cinder said, pulling the covers over her body. Six relaxed in his chair and equipped Maria in one hand and the Protonic Inversal Axe in the other.

She began to drift off into a deep slumber, thinking about today's events. She had defeated the Nikos girl, Ruby had used her eyes, somehow, and to top it all off she was transported here. Somehow. As her mind drifted off into greater detail of the day she began to hear a voice in the distance.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" The voice asked timidly. Cinder decided not to announce herself immediately. She would wait for the voice to reveal itself, then present herself. As the voice neared her position she could make out the gender of the voice. It was female. Not just any female, a _certain_ female.

"Is anyone here?" the feminine voice called out, this time more assertive. Cinder waited for just a bit more. Soon she would see who was in her mind. She could hear heeled boots clicking on the marble floor.

"I guess I'm all alone here." The voice said with a defeated sigh.

"You're not." Cinder said as she revealed herself. The source of the other voice was none other than Pyrrha Nikos.

" _You._ " Pyrrha spat with venom in her voice.

"Yes, me. What are you doing in my mind?" Cinder asked.

"I'm in your mind?!" Pyrrha asked with surprise.

Cinder nodded her head. "So why don't you tell me what you are doing here?" Cinder asked with patience.

"Why should I tell you?" Pyrrha shot back.

"Because you're dead. I killed you myself. So why don't you tell me what you are doing in _my_ head?" Cinder interrogated.

"I don't know, one moment I'm fighting you, then you struck me with the arrow. After that I felt as if all my senses began to dull. I could only feel emotions, no pain, no pleasure. I thought I was going to die. After that I began to fall." Pyrrha answered.

"Fall?" Cinder asked, a bit curious.

"Yes. I started to fall into a large, black hole. I just fell and fell until I ended up here. Beyond that I have no clue what happened." Pyrrha said.

"Hmmm. That would make sense, I was told of the risks to using that kind of magic." Cinder said while rubbing her chin as if she was in deep thought.

"What type of magic?" Pyrrha asked, approaching Cinder.

"Obliteration Magic. It has the ability to completely obliterate anything's physical body, however it was only ever used on wild animals and the Creature of Grimm. Its use on humans and fanus was… limited and thus there wasn't enough information on the subject to predict any side effects." Cinder explained to young Huntress. "This must be one of them." Cinder said, making a metal note of the discovery.

"So, what _am_ I?" Pyrrha asked, dying to know the answer to the burning question.

"I can only assume that you are the remaining conscious of Pyrrha Nikos." Cinder stated.

"What does this mean for me?" Pyrrha asked, a bit disappointed.

"You are most likely trapped within my mind. A prisoner in my castle." Cinder elaborated. "Quick question, do you have any memories beyond our battle at the top of Beacon Tower?" Cinder asked, approaching Pyrrha.

"Well I remember one thing besides the falling. It's just a hazy image of a man in a sleeveless trench coat with a circle of thirteen stars in a circle around a bigger one and some red and white stripes coming down from the circle of stars." Pyrrha said.

'So that confirms it, she can see through my eyes. Although she can only see hazy images, it's still something. This could become a problem. If she were able to take control of my senses she could possibly take control of my entire body.' Cinder thought.

"I can hear that you know." Pyrrha said with a deadpan look on her face.

"Hm, so you can hear my thoughts. That makes sense, this is my mind after all." Cinder said.

"So, who _is_ that guy?" Pyrrha asked.

"I only know his name so far, will that be enough?" Cinder said.

"Sure." Pyrrha said. It was quite odd to be cooperating with someone who killed her. It struck at her very core, working with someone who caused the death of man innocent people, but she really didn't have much of a choice in this, so her only option was to grin a bear it.

"His name is Courier Six." Cinder said.

"So, he delivers packages." Pyrrha said with a deadpan look.

"Not quite, he's an ex-courier." Cinder clarified.

"So, he couldn't even keep a stable job?" Pyrrha said with a bored look on her face.

"He's reliable, that's for sure." Cinder said with confidence.

"What do think will happen to me if you die?" Pyrrha asked with concern.

"My guess is that your consciousness will die along with mine." Cinder said with a shrug.

"Oh. Ok. Can you make me a promise?" Pyrrha asked, trying to put on her best puppy face.

"That depends on what it is." Cinder countered.

"Please don't go and get yourself killed." Pyrrha said as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I don't intend to." Cinder said as she began to walk away from Pyrrha.

"Hey Cinder, wake up, it's time for us to leave." Six said with a warm smile as he rose from his seat. She could see the large bags under his eyes and the tired look written over his face.

"Alright. Are _you_ ready to go? Because you like you went on a three-night drinking spree and just woke up with the hangover." Cinder said jokingly.

"I'll be fine, I'll just pop a Sunset Sarsaparilla and that will be able to hold me over until we get to the next town." Six said, taking off the bottle cap of the soda pop. The two of them gathered their things and set off to the next town. As they were leaving the outpost, one of the soldiers spit at Six as him and Cinder began to walk down the hill. Six stopped in his tracks.

"Do you care to do that to my face, soldier boy." Six said with malice and spite in his voice.

"Fuck off package boy. You fucked us over, so why should I give you _any_ respect?!" The soldier shouted. Six swiveled his head in the direction of the soldier. He then rotated his body to face the NCR infantry man. "Respect… is not _given_ but rather _earned_. If you ever do something like that again I will string you up on the closest flag pole and make you feel a whole new world of pain." Six threatened with a crinkled up snarl.

"Are you, ok?" Cinder asked, a bit concerned.

"Me? Oh, I'm just dandy! Them on the other hand…" Six said as the two of them walked away from the military outpost.

"Why do they hate you so virulently?" Cinder asked as they headed to the town of Novac.

"As you already know, I threw their general off of the Hoover Dam. But not just that, I humiliated them. They lost all territorial holdings in the Mojave expect for the outpost we just visited. You could guess how a whole group of people would react to being defeated, fucking pissed." Six explained.

"If you defeated them, why let them have the outpost?" Cinder inquired.

"Because some times, showing restraint with the power you have, instead of using all of it, can show just how powerful you are. Have you heard of the Sword of Damocles?" Cinder shook her head. "It's basically a metaphor for something hanging over your head." Six told Cinder.

"And when the sword falls…" Cinder started.

"The head rolls." Six finished. "There is a unspoken law of these lands. If you commit a crime, no matter how low or minor, the sentence is death. So, when I spare them death, and even let them stay in the Mojave, it's all the more humiliating for them. It reminds me of an old-world phrase 'Speak softly and carry the big stick'. That's why they hate me, and unfortunately, by extension you." Six said as he led Cinder through Nipton.

"My god, what happened here?" Cinder asked as she looked at the crosses with a disgusted look on her face.

"The Legion is what happened. This is kinda their MO. They take what they need, generally enslave the women and able-bodied men, then they crucify the rest." Six explained to Cinder as he cut down the now rotting cadavers. Cinder watched as he materialized a shovel and began to dig a mass grave.

"Quite barbaric, don't you think?" Cinder asked as she helped him to lower the bodies into the grave.

"You're preaching to the quire." Six said as he wiped his brow after dropping the last of the bodies into the mass grave.

"What's your standing with the Legion?" Cinder asked.

"In comparison to the NCR, they hate me like the devil." Six said as he gave a heavy sigh.

'He doesn't seem to be liked that much, are you sure you want to associate with him?' Pyrrha asked Cinder through her mind.

'I do. He can handle himself in combat which can be _very_ useful in this world.' Cinder thought back.

'What do you mean by _this world_?' Pyrrha thought.

'If you haven't noticed, we aren't in Remnant anymore.' Cinder though in explanation to Pyrrha's question.

"Hey Cinder, are you alright? You've been awfully quite for the past few minutes." Six asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes, I'm fine. I've just been thinking about some things." Cinder said, trying to give Six as little info she could.

"Understood. So… are you ok? I mean what you've seen… it must disgust you, right?" Six asked out of the blue. Cinder nodded.

"It can be quite… disturbing from where I'm from." Cinder said as she walked with Six towards Novac.

"Where you are from sounds like a really nice place. Not having to see things like that on the daily. The death and misery, it starts to wear down even the most optimistic of people. Promise me one thing Cinder. Don't become like me. Don't become someone who is desensitized to these kind of things, please." Six pleaded with Cinder who looked back at him with a concerned look.

"I promise Six. I promise." Cinder said with the warmest smile she could muster, which for her was quite the task.

'Now do you think that I shouldn't associate with him? He clearly wants the best for me.' Cinder thought to Pyrrha.

'You have point there, but if this ends the way it did for me you will be alone and wishing you fought with him in his final moments.' Pyrrha thought back.

'What do you mean?' Cinder thought back.

'My partner, Juane. I helped him to train. I helped him to become a better fighter, but in the end, I shut him out. I refused to let him assist me in the fight against you. Now he's alone, without me, and it was all because of me.' Pyrrha said with shame.

'I see, but you fail to see one simple difference, I currently have no romantic interest in Six.' Cinder shot back.

'Not yet.' Pyrrha said before becoming silent.

"We're almost there. Just a few more minutes of walking, and don't worry, we can _both_ sleep safe tonight." Six said, downing another bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla.

"That's good. It looks like you need it." Cinder said, hiding a snicker behind her hands.

"Yea, I'm going to check up on an old friend of mine." Six said as walked towards a run-down motel. They both arrived at a large chain-link gate. Six pushed the gate open, moving swiftly towards a certain room. As they neared the room the sound of glass bottles falling and irritated grumbling could be heard from outside the door. As Six slowly opened the door, he could see his old companion rising from his terribly made bed.

"Boone, it me, Six. How have you been holding up?" Six asked the disgruntled man.

"I'm doing fine Six. There haven't been any disturbances in or around Novac. Manny and I have been training the locals to be more effective with their firearms. Who's that?" Boone asked, pointing at Cinder.

"My name is Cinder, pleased to meet you Boone." Cinder feigned.

"Now that you two have met, I suggest we go somewhere nice to eat." Six said with wide grin.

"And where would we go?" Boone asked bluntly.

"Hm, maybe I can just cook something up fo-" Six said before Boone cut him off.

"I'm fine thanks. The last time you tried to cook I nearly got dysentery." Boone interrupted, reaching for his flask.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you two meet?" Cinder asked as she took a seat in a vacant chair.

"I don't mind telling so long as Boone's ok with it." Six said turning to Boone, who nodded with approval.

"Just the bare minimum, nothing more." Boone said with a firm voice.

"Gotcha." Six said, facing Cinder. "We met about a year ago, I was a young, naïve man out for revenge, and Boone was one of the two local lookouts. I met him when he was on his shift. We talked, and after some negotiation we struck a deal. If I could help him out with a personal favor, then he would follow along with me to my intended destination. I completed my side of the bargain and he completed his. And the rest, as they say, is history." Six said with a stone-cold face.

"Interesting…" Cinder said, wanting to know more. She would try and pry the rest out of him tonight, but for now she needed to appear as innocent as possible.

"It's been nice catching up with you Boone, but I need some sleep, have a nice day." Six said, dragging himself out of the door with a fatigued posture. Cinder followed suit, gently closing the door on Boone as the two of them left.

"I hope Six knows what he's doing." Boone murmured to himself as he took a sip from his flask.

Courier Six

"No." Six responded as he collapsed onto the bed face-first.

"Why not?" Cinder asked slyly.

"Because, one, I'm tired, and two, its none of your business. Now let me sleep in peace." Six answered as he sprawled his body across the mattress.

"Alright." Cinder said with a sigh of defeat. She had been prodding at Six from different angles and approaches to get details on how him and Boone became companions. Every attempt was met with a stone wall. She didn't blame him, he was probably exhausted out of his mind and simply wanted to rest. She watched him as he began to drift off into a deep, and well deserved sleep.

'Would you mind telling me why you are doing this?' Pyrrha asked, confused about Cinder's motives for her recent actions.

'So that I can get more information as to who Six is and what length he would got to to obtain a partner.' Cinder answered.

'Alright, just don't push your luck with him, you need him on your side should anything… divisive come your way.' Pyrrha advised.

'Duly noted.' Cinder thought as she took an unoccupied portion of the bed, making room for herself.

What did you think? Tell me in a review!

Thanks for reading!


	3. Ain't that a kick in the head!

As always, a big thanks to commanderpill for checking over the chapter and happing me to write better!

Courier Six

Six rose from his bed. As he scanned his surroundings he noticed that certain someone had made her way into his bed. He chucked to himself as he got dressed for the day ahead of him. He equipped his Protonic Inversal Axe and Maria. Then he checked his inventory to make sure he had any necessary medical supplies. 'Healing power, stimpacks, Med-X, Radaway, Rad-X; that's everything.' Six thought to himself as he approached the single window of the motel room. He pulled up the blinds, getting an annoyed grumble from Cinder in response.

"Why are you up so early?" She asked as she pulled the covers over herself.

"The sun's up, so I'm up, and that's that." Six said with a lighthearted shrug.

"Five more minutes." Cinder asked as she submerged her head in the nearest pillow.

"No. We need to get moving. I think whoever was following us didn't stop at the outpost. If we move now we might be able to shake them." Six said, opening the door. "Oh, and put this on." He said as he threw Cinder some leather armor and a metal helmet.

"Why this?" Cinder asked. But before she finished her quandary, she was interrupted by the sound of the door being shut.

'Why would Six want me to wear this?' Cinder thought to herself.

'Better protection?' Pyrrha responded with an unsure tone.

'That would be the reasonable assumption…' Cinder thought, fishing for any other reason Six would have to get her in the outfit. After thinking for a few minutes, she could find none and put on the armor and helmet. As she emerged from the room, Six was nowhere to be found, there was however a note stuck to the outside of the window. It read 'Went over to Cliff Brisco's place, its in the giant dino strait ahead. She looked up to find a giant, green lizard out by some cabins. She walked down the steps to the large, inanimate creature. As she walked up the steps she could hear Six and the voice of another man talking. As she opened the door she found a man with dark brown complexation speaking Six.

"Here she is!" the man said with a cheery tone. "The person you've been telling me so much about. The name's Cliff, pleasure to meet you." Cliff said with a bright smile.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Cinder said to Cliff, walking up to Six.

"So, as I was saying, I found that gun in a dumpster for some reason." Cliff explained to Six.

"Then what did you do?" Six asked.

"I took it to my place, cleaned it up, made some modifications and voila! Its as good as new!" Cliff said with excitement.

"So… how much?" Six asked, reaching for his caps stash.

"Five hundred minimum." Cliff said tersely.

"Five hundred!? That's ludicrous! I saw better looking weapons go for _way_ less than that!" Six said as he slammed his hands on the counter.

"Well this is one of a kind, never seen another one like it in my life." Cliff said with a piercing gaze.

"Can't you cut me a deal? I shop here at least once every time I come into town, that gotta be worth something!" Six said, using his speech and bartering skills in tandem.

"I suppose I could cut you some slack…" Cliff said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Alright, Six, four hundred seventy five, not a single cap lower." Cliff said as he stretched his arm out for a hand shake. A hand shake which Six took. He handed him the caps with an irritated grumble and Cliff handed Six the pistol. Six took it, then looked at the screen of his pip-boy.

"Hm, 'That Gun', interesting name…" Six said as turned to face Cinder. "I've been thinking, since you aren't from around here, and you don't seem to have any weapons, that you should get one." Six said, handing her the pistol. Cinder raised an eyebrow, and took the gun along with its holster. "Its small, so it won't have that much recoil, which means it will be easier to control when firing." Six explained.

"Thanks…" Cinder said, doing her best not to laugh at how sweet the gesture was. It was painfully obvious that he had obtained some feelings for her. Whether it was romantic or more of a parental type of affection, wanting to defend the younger ones, remained to be seen. She glided her fingers along the gun. She felt every ridge and corner, the leather grip, the metal barrel, and the magazine release button on the side of the grip. She was given a plentiful amount of ammunition from Six in the form of a small leather pouch filled to the brim with 5.56 ammunition.

"Let's go Cinder, we have places to be and people to see." Six said as he led Cinder out of the shop. Cinder could faintly hear Cliff asking her if she wanted to by a souvenir.

"Nobody wants the dinos…" Cliff said as the door to his humble shop closed.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia was currently on the island of Menagerie. She arrived only a few days ago, her reason for being on the island was for one of her assignments. She would meet up with the contacts in a few hours, but until then all she could do was wait. She was told to lay low until the meeting, so as not to attract any unneeded attention. She decided to take a nap to pass the time, she slowly closed her eyes, drifting into a light slumber, the light of the sun bleeding through the half opened blinds. She could faintly hear birds chirping in the background as her mind began to drift off into the clouds of the sleeping.

Hours Later

Ilia awoke from her slumber and checked her watch. It was time to meet with her contacts. She got up from her bed and grabbed her equipment. She walked out of the building to see the dipping just below the horizon.

'So, the place where I'm going to meet my contact is just south of here…' Ilia thought. She walked for about twenty minutes until she reached the specified location. She saw two middle-aged men standing there.

"Where does the swallow fly?" Ilia asked as she approached the two men. Due to the needed secrecy of her operations, both her and whomever she would meet with would obtain a code or phrase and a response phrase. If either of them said the wrong phrase, then by the code of her training, she would have to kill the contact so that her identity could remain hidden.

"Where it goes to die." The two men said in unison.

"So, what am I needed for?" Ilia asked. The two contacts looked at each other and nodded silently.

"You will be going to investigate an unusual weather pattern just south of here. Return to us with any intel you may have found on it." The man to the right said.

"There are a lot of creatures in the south, so be on your toes." The man to the left said, handing Ilia a scroll. She took it and moved in the direction of the unusual weather pattern. She arrived at the site of the weather pattern five hours later. By this time the sun had gone down and the shattered moon had taken its place.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like it." Ilia said to herself as she slowly walked forward. There was a large black cloud that shot out green bolts of lightning every minute or so. Precipitation of purple rain began to fall from the black clouds. Ilia took out the scroll and began to take pictures of the abnormalities that were occurring right in front of her. Then a bright light flashed in her eyes.

Everything went black, she couldn't make out anything, just darkness. She felt her body being moved as if it was on a current of water, like a river carrying her downstream.

'What happened. One minute I was taking pictures of the anomalies then the next I was blinded by a bright light. But where did that light come from? I just… appeared without any prior warning. How strange. Then I must be being carried by someone back to the town. No, that can't be the case because her location was too far out for anyone to inhabit the area. As she opened her eyes, she could see a pair of large, blue hands carrying her some where. She looked up to see an equally blue face of what she could only assume to be a monster.

"AAAAAAAHH!" Ilia screamed, jumping out of the grasp of the giant blue monster.

"Dearie, there's no need to be afraid!" The blue monster said with glee.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Ilia screamed in fear.

"Oh, sweetie, don't you remember? I'm a nightkin! Now come over here and have some dinner!" The blue monster said.

"YOU'LL NEVER TA-. Wait what? You want me over for dinner?" Ilia asked a bit surprised.

"Why of course sweetie! Come over to mommy Lily and have some Bighorner steak!" The blue monster known as Lily said, waving Ilia over to her house.

"O-ok…" Ilia said, hesitantly following Lily. 'Where am I?' Ilia thought, looking around the area she landed in. it appeared to be a settlement that was set up around some sort of lodge with mountain peaks surrounding the settlement. But it wasn't just natural protect that helped to defend the settlement, there was also a large wall made entirely out of tree trunks. What perplexed her the most was who inhabited this settlement. These blue monsters were _everywhere_. She would need to ask Lily about this to gain more intel on the subject.

Winter Schnee

"Winter?! What are you still doing here?" Weiss asked with surprise, seeing her sister at Beacon Academy after she thought she had left.

"I'm taking you and your friends somewhere safe." Winter explained. "We could get medical attention for your friend." Winter said, motioning towards Yang. "And that's not the half of it. _Father_ is coming to get you and take you home." Winter said with concern in her voice.

"F-father?!" Weiss asked with disbelief.

"Yes, father. I'm not going to stand around and let him do to you what he did to me, now come on, and make sure you bring your friends." Winter said. "You two! Get s stretcher and get that girl into the med-bay of the transport!" Winter ordered as she barked out commands to her subordinates.

"Yes ma'am!" The two soldiers said with a salute, running towards the ship, grabbing a medical stretcher. They then loaded Yang onto it and moved her into the medical section of the specialist's transport.

"You there, you are a member of my sister's team, are you not?" Winter asked Blake.

"Yes, I am." Blake said with her head held low.

"Then get on the transport! I'm not leaving a friend of my sister's behind." Winter said, leading Blake onto the ship.

"Weiss, why are you still on the landing pad? We are leaving!" Winter questioned.

"I'm waiting for Ruby! She's our team leader. I can't just leave her behind…" Weiss said, a few tears falling from her face.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Her uncle may be a drunken fool, but he's a good man none the less, and will look after her, now let's go!" Winter ordered, waving Weiss towards the transport, who slowly walked into the transport as the back door began to close on the scene of Beacon in chaos and ruin.

"Secure the girl on the stretcher for take-off!" Winter commanded the medics as they secured Yang. "We can get your friend a prosthetic once we land in Atlas, but before that we are going to need cauterize that wound." Winter explained.

"We are going to have to put her under!" One of the medics said before injecting the anesthesia via a syringe. The second medic dipped a cauterizing instrument into some alcohol to sterilize it. He then began to heat it until it was hot enough. Then, without any warning he pressed the heated instrument against Yang's injury, the hissing sound of hot metal stopping the bleeding in its tracks.

"Medical patient has been stabilized!" The first medic yelled over the sound of the roaring engines. Blake gave a sigh of relief from hearing the news. Relief that would be short lived.

"Specialist! We have encountered an unknown atmospheric anomaly! I'll try to steer around it!" the pilot said, taking a sharp turn.

"Shit! We can't avoid it! I'm going to try and rush through it!" The pilot explained as he sped through the anomaly. As they flew through black clouds, they could see green bolts of lightning reached from the clouds.

"We're almost through it! just a few more minutes!" The pilot shouted from the cockpit. Then a bolt of green lightning struck one of the thrusters, bright sparks began to spray from the damaged engine.

"The transport is starting to go down! Hang on to something!" The pilot advised as he tried in vain to steer the ship into a safe landing. As it began to fall, the clouds started to thin until they were no longer in Vale. As they held on for dear life, some of them took a few glances out of the small windows of the transport. They managed to get a few glances of what they could only assume was a desert.

"Pilot, what's our status?" Winter asked in desperation. But there was no reply. "Pilot, are you there?!" Winter asked once more, and again she was greeted by silence. Then she heard a deafening screech, as if someone was dragging their nails on a chalkboard. She looked down to find the transport was starting to tear apart.

"Medics! Make sure that girl lands safely! Everyone else, hold on to something now! The ship is being torn apart! We might get separated so be careful if you survive the landing!" Winter warned as she clung to the door of cockpit of the aircraft.

"WHAT?!" Weiss questioned with disbelief.

"You heard me! Hold on!" Winter said as the ship began to rip from the seams. Winter's section was the first to go. It fell off of the craft, the piece began to do flips through the air, each one going faster than the last. She tried to keep herself from fainting from the force of gravity pulling her down while the cockpit continued to tumble forwards. Then, as if she hit the pavement, a powerful force struck her, forcing her unconscious from the sheer shock of the impact.

As always, thanks for reading and drop a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter!


	4. Stranger things

As always, a big thanks to commanderpill for checking over the chapter for me and giving it some improvements!

Cinder Fall

Cinder was walking along side Six as they both trekked through the expansive desert known as the Mojave Wasteland. As the moved towards their next stop, she began to notice the lack of wildlife in the area. It made sense this was a desert after all, however what was confusing here was that even in Vacuo and the desert of Menagerie they had a fair amount of creatures inhabiting the sandy landscapes. Here in this desert however there was significantly less life, be it sentient or native.

"Where's all the wildlife?" Cinder asked out of both curiosity and boredom. While she did like the occasional silence, Six was her main source of information and if she wanted to survive she would need to know everything she could about this place.

"Hm." Six said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Either hiding, resting, or hunting. They don't generally come out in the morning hours, well, except for nightstalkers." Six said, answering her quandary.

"Nightstalkers?" Cinder asked, with a bit of interest. They sounded like names Grimm would have so she began to wonder if there were creatures here in this new world that would compare to them.

"Yea, they're as scary as the name would imply. They're nocturnal hunters who can turn invisible. They are like if you put the body and legs of a wolf, and gave it the head and tail of a rattlesnake. Scary bastards." Six elaborated. "That's one of the reasons I bought you that gun." Six said, trying to steer the conversation into a more positive direction.

They continued their journey with relative silence until the sound of gunfire in the distance broke it. Six motioned for Cinder to take cover behind a large rock while he stood out in the open, scanning the horizon with a set of binoculars. As she hid, the sound of gunshots got closer and closer until it stopped suddenly. Voices could be heard in the distance, with the volume of the voices getting slightly louder by the second.

"Looks like they aren't here to chat, get your gun ready, we might have to shoot our way out of this." Six warned, grabbing a fragmentation grenade from his inventory. Although it only took five minutes for the voices to get close enough to Six so that Cinder could hear them.

"Hey there buddy, whatcha doin' around here?" One of the voices said with a threatening tone.

"Just passing through." Six replied, eying the group.

"Is that so? Then tell me why you got a grenade in your hand." This time a more feminine voice asked.

"Insurance." Six answered tersely.

"Look what we have here! A beautiful young lady!" A third voice said with an almost evilly sarcastic delight. Cinder turned to the source of the voice. It was a man with a large skull tattoo on his face which was wearing a devilish grin. He was holding a rusted machete over his head as if he intended to swing it. Cinder raised her pistol and aimed it at the man's head.

Cinder fired three shots putting three holes into the man's head, his cold, dead corpse fell to the ground. She swiveled around to give fire support for Six. As she kept her eyes on the two others, she could see Six changing his weapon in her peripheral vision.

"Six! Watch out!" Cinder shouted as the two other drew their guns. He ducked behind Cinder's rock while the two adversaries took cover behind a boulder opposite to theirs.

"How do you want to play this?" Cinder asked, reloading That Gun.

"Well, you ain't half bad of a shot, so how about some target practice? I'll draw them out and you pick them off, ok?" Six said, pulling out his katana. Cinder nodded her head, taking position to start shooting.

"On my mark, one…" Six said, leaving his cover behind the rock with his katana in hand. "Two…" Six shouted sprinting towards the enemies' position. "Three…" Six shouted, managing to get the two remaining people out from their cover. "MARK!" Six shouted at the top of his lungs as he heard a rapid flurry of bullets coming towards the two hostile entities. He saw one hit the ground dead as a doornail. The second one unsheathed a combat knife and took a swing at Six as he finished his swing. He ducked out of the path of the well-kept blade, bashing the man in the stomach with the butt of the Japanese sword. He staggered back, quickly regaining his balance and started another flurry of jabs and stabs at Six. However, Six realized what he was trying to do and took a wide slash at his knees. He recoiled in pain, gripping his knees in agony. Two shots shot came over Six's shoulder as he watched the final foe collapse on the ground as the two bullets pierced his skull. After the battle concluded he sheathed his blade and went over to check on Cinder.

"Good shooting, Cinder!" Six shouted from his position as she emerged from cover.

"Who were those guys?" Cinder asked, approaching Six.

"From what I can make out, they're Jackal gang members. Probably thought we were easy pickings, but looks like they made one final, fatal mistake." Six said, chuckling as he began to look through the bodies of their foes.

"What are you doing?" Cinder asked, a bit confused as to what Six was currently doing.

"Scavenging. Even though I have enough ammunition to supply an army, and even more food to feed one, it takes a large quantity of caps to sustain that amount of inventory. Not to mention the repair costs for weapons and armor." Six said, finding a few caps on the corpses of the gang members.

"And now that I have a companion, I also have to take into account _your_ supplies and food." Six said, grabbing some spare ammunition.

"But I've only ever seen you use that pistol." Cinder said, pointing at Maria.

"True, but I have some others I like to keep close to me." Six said with a smile as he finished his scavenging.

"Maybe you could introduce me to them one day." Cinder joked as followed Six to their next destination.

'Cinder, there's something off about this guy.' Pyrrha warned.

'You could feel it too? Good to know.' Cinder thought, making a mental note.

'Yea, I don't know _what_ it is, but it's something.' Pyrrha said.

'Well if you get any more info make sure to keep me informed.' Cinder thought with dry sarcasm.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia, during her stay in the small settlement, learned many things about this world, and more specifically, the area she was currently in. The settlement was called Jacobstown, the things that inhabited Jacobstown were called Nightkin, creatures that at one point were humans, but were dipped into some sort of material by a thing called 'The Master'. Then after 'The Master' was defeated, they migrated here and after Jacobstown was founded with a Super Mutant called Marcus as the sheriff. The most surprisingly relieving thing she learned was that there was a human and 'ghoul' as it called itself lived here. In all her years, Ilia never thought she would ever sympathize with a human, but here she was.

Lily, her host, as she learned from Doctor Henry, had a history of memory loss, thus the reason being she thought Ilia was her granddaughter. As for herself, Ilia found herself helping out Doctor Henry with his research. One day, Doc Henry asked a favor from her.

"Ilia, I need you to check something out for me." Doc Henry asked, tuning to Ilia.

"Sure, what do I need to do?" Ilia asked.

"I need you to go with Lily and inspect a cave nearby. I know there is a group of something in there but I don't know what. Could be humans, could be creatures, but what ever it is, just take some pictures of them and then we'll devise a plan to deal with them, ok?" He explained.

"Yea, I got it. Go there, take pictures, come back." Ilia relayed back to the doctor.

"Good. Take these, its dangerous out there." The doctor said, handing her a plasma pistol and a few stimpacks.

"Thanks doctor." Ilia said, walking out of the lodge. She walked over to Lily who was tending to her Bighorners.

"Lily, the doctor has another mission for us." Ilia said, getting her attention.

"Ok dear, I'll meet you at the gates once I'm done with the Bighorners." Lily said. Ilia nodded and headed over to the gate where Marcus was.

She approached Marcus, and Marcus turned around as she approched. "Oh, hello Ilia, how are you today?" Marcus asked.

"Another mission from the doctor. Lily's coming with me this time." Ilia answered.

"Dearie! I'm here! Where do you want to go?" Lily asked, brandishing her bumper sword.

"It's a cave just south of here. We're going to go in, see who's there, take some pictures and leave." Ilia explained to her host.

"Ok Dearie!" Lily said, nodding her head. The two of them walked out of Jacobstown, waving goodbye to Marcus. They arrived at the mouth of the cave an hour and a half later.

"Here it is." Ilia said, taking out the night vision camera. "Cover my six, Lily." Ilia said as she entered the large, dark cave. As they got deeper and deeper, a strange sound could be heard. It was similar to that of a growling Ursa but much lower in pitch. As she rounded the corner, she could see what was making the noise. It was a group of creatures with large, ovular abdomens with clawed tentacle-like legs and tentacle like arms with spear-shaped tip instead of hands. They appeared to be surrounding a smaller one of them.

As she took a picture, the snapping sound of the camera attracted the attention of the creatures. They began to charge at her. Ilia took out her weapon and started to whip at the incoming threats.

The first one jumped towards her, slashing its spear-like appendages at her. Her whip slashed at the legs of the first creature, large amounts of blood pouring out of its wounds. Ilia looked to her side to see Lily impaling one of the creatures through its belly with a gut-wrenching screech. Two more flanked Ilia, waving their appendages at her, slamming her into the wall of the cave. As she got up, more of the things started to surround her as she rose from the crater of impact. She quickly drew the plasma pistol that Doctor Henry gave her, and started shooting to the eyes of the approaching creatures. A few of them staggered back from the pain of the plasma. But they just kept coming, until that is, Lily picked her up and ran out of the cave, a trail of dead creatures behind them. As they were fleeing the cave, Ilia felt slightly heavier than usual, but though nothing of it.

"Are you okay dearie?" Lily asked.

"Yea, just a bit banged up, that's all." Ilia said. The two of them walked towards Jacobstown. Two hours later they arrived at Lily's house to rest. As day turned to night, Ilia began to slowly regain hers strength. Once she was fully rested she headed over to Doctor Henry to give him the photos she took.

"Hey doc, I've got the pictures you wanted." Ilia said, placing them down on the table. As she Approached Doc Henry his eyes went in shock. "What?" Ilia asked.

"It's a Wanamingo!" Henry said as he pointed behind here with excitement and surprise.

"AH!" Ilia said with shock, jumping up slightly as she saw the creature.

"Calm down i think it imprinted on you or else It would have already attacked you." Doc said getting close to the Wanamingo until it growled a little at him and he backed off. "And only you it seems." he said with a rub of his chin as he observed the creature from a distance.

"Imprinted?" Illia said with confusion.

"It means it thinks you're its mother, you must have saved it or something and in turn It feels compelled to follow and listen to you." Doc Henry explained.

"You think so?" Ilia asked.

"Yes. Young creatures will often imprint on creatures of their own kind or other types of creatures and sometimes even on humans, although these instances are rare." Doc Henry explained.

"Oh, so he's like my pet now?" Ilia asked.

"You could think of it like that, yes. Can you look after it?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea, I can do that." Ilia said, petting the head of the young creature.

"What did you say it was again?" She asked as it wiggled in joy after her petting.

"A wanamingo, they were a dangerous group of creatures back in the day and so oddly shaped that some people thought they were aliens." Doc. Henry chuckles as he thinks of that last part.

"There used to be a lot of them but eventually due to their genetic code and constant hunting of their eggs they died in a generation, or at least we thought they did." As Doctor Henry thinks of this he frowns as he thinks as to where this creature came from.

"This Wanamingo came from the cave didn't it." He asked in a grimm tone.

"Yes why?" Illia asked in confusion

"Hmmm. This isn't good." Doctor Henry said with a grave tone, walking over to one of his filing cabinets and began to pull out folders with a large E printed on its side with small stars surrounding the E in a circle.

"Give me the photos if you would." Doc Henry asks as he walks to illia

"Here." She gives the photos to him and he walks back with the photos in hand frowning as he goes back to the folders.

"You can go home, Ilia." Henry said as he waved her goodbye.

"Have a nice night Doctor." Ilia said, walking out the door all the while confused as to what made Doctor Henry so grim.

Weiss Schnee

Weiss gripped one of the seats, bracing for the impact that was sure to come as the aircraft began to tear apart. As her piece started to separate from the others, she could see the trajectory of her fragment of the ship. It was heading towards what appeared to be a castle or fort in the middle of what looked to be a ruined city similar to that of Mountain Glen. She activated one of her glyphs to dampen her impact. As she stood on her glyph, she scanned the city, most of its buildings collapsed or unusable. The few that were usable, still had the appearance of being badly kept.

A one of the crafts wing came crashing down on Weiss, breaking her concentration, the Glyph beneath her feet breaking. She started to climb to the top of the wing, her weight shifting the position of the wing itself. She was clinging on for dear life as she plummeted down to the ground, surprise overwhelming her when she felt the soft cushion of sand beneath her. She tried to push the wing off of her, but to no avail. She could feel the sun beating down on her as she began to sweat. She began to shout for as a last ditch effort to escape her precarious position. A group of men in metal armor approached her, a malicious grin forming on their faces.

"Hey little girl! You need some help?" One of them asked.

"Yes! Please! I'm stuck!" Weiss pleaded.

"How about this, we scratch your back you scratch ours, understand?" a second man asked.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, here we are, coming back from fighting and surviving out in this treacherous wasteland, and all we want is to go home. But just as we arrive at the gate of our home, to find a young girl asking for help. Now, you don't have any caps by the looks of it, and if my guessing, you're probably a virgin, right?" A third man asked with an evil grin.

"You can't mean…" Weiss said, adrenaline starting to pump through her veins at the man's implication.

"That's exactly what we mean. Don't worry we'll be gentle." The first one reassured her.

"Fuck that man! We could just have our way with her right now! She's pinned under that wreckage in the perfect position!" the second one said with lust in his tone.

"Fine, but I'm taking her first, I've never had a virgin before." The third man said, slowly approaching Weiss.

"SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP ME! I'M BEING RAPED!" Weiss pleaded in vain, her screams heard only by one other than those present. The adrenaline began to course through her, fight or flight? She couldn't move so flight was out of the question so her only other option was fight. As he approached her, she sent a kick towards the third man's genitals. He hopped back avoiding to swift strike.

"Woah. Looks like we got a feisty one today boys, hold her legs." The third man ordered. The other two grabbed her legs, holding them open.

"SOMEONE! PLEASE!" She shouted in a last ditch effort.

"Come on girly, don't struggle, it'll just hurt more that wa-" Was all the third man could say before being blasted in the chest with a green ball of plasma. He screamed in pain, clutching the wound as steam rose from it. Two more projectiles like it hit the man, the second in the left leg, and the third in the head. His cadaver slammed into the ground. The other two men released their grip on Weiss and pulled out their weapons, only to be blasted in the head by two shotgun blasts. The remaining two men collapsed on the ground with their leader, not moving an inch.

"Is she alright?" Weiss heard a female voice with a strange accent ask.

"From what I can tell, she's unharmed." Weiss heard a male voice respond to the female's quandary.

"Good, now lets get her to the Old Mormon Fort ASAP." The female voice said. Weiss looked towards the source of the voices to see two people. The male was wearing a white lab coat and had some sort of odd looking pistol that glowed green in certain parts. The woman was wearing a straw hat, a pendant around her neck, a tunic and an over along with some jeans.

"Arcade, you take that side, I'll take this one, lift on three." The woman said pointing to the side of the wing that Weiss was pinned under. Arcade walked over and gripped the edge of the wing.

"One, two, THREE!" He shouted, both him and the female lifted the wing to the point where Weiss could climb out. The woman walked over to Weiss and held out her hand with a pleasant smile on her face.

"You ok kid? You're a bit shook up?" the woman asked.

"Of course she's a bit shook up Cass, she was nearly raped." Arcade said, walking over to her. "Come with us, we'll give you medical attention for those bruises you got." Arcade said motioning her to follow him.

"Why should I trust you?" Weiss asked, not moving from her spot.

"What?" Cass asked with disbelief.

"You heard me, why should I trust you? For all I know you are just trying to gain my trust them you'll have your way with me once my guard is down." Weiss said, crossing her arms which were still shaking from the adrenaline.

"If you really don't trust us, then here, have this." Arcade said, handing her his pistol. "If we do anything you deem as a threat towards your safety you can shoot us, ok?" Arcade said.

Weiss snatched the pistol from his hands and followed behind them. It was only a five minute walk to their destination, the place in question was the fort she saw from her view on her glyph.

Arcade opened the large, wooden doors to reveal that the place he had led her to was what appeared to be a make-shift hospital. There were a few armed guards at the gate and walking around the small outpost. There were other men and woman in lab coats similar to Arcade's. Weiss walked up to him and handed him his pistol back.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't trust you back there…" Weiss said sheepishly. Arcade simply placed the pistol back into her hands.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You were simply taking the necessary precautions for your safety. You should keep the plasma defender, it works well, has a decent aim and can do some serious damage, the perfect self-defense weapon." Arcade said, leading her to a vacant cot.

"By the way, what's your name?" Arcade asked as he began to treat her bruises.

"Weiss, Weiss Schnee." Weiss said.

And that's a wrap!

What did you think of the chapter?


	5. Moving on

Thanks as always to commanderpill for editing this chapter and keeping me out with the characters (More specifically the villains) and helping me to keep them in-character.

Blake Belladonna

Blake was falling. Falling through the sky to be exact, with a flat piece of metal under her. She, as a cat fanus, was able to keep the sheet of metal relatively level by leaning slight on the plate from time to time. As she descended from the sky, she could see a small, metal structure beneath her. As her descent continued, she realized that at the speed she was going at, she was going to hit the roof of the metal structure. She tried to steer out of the way, but failed to as she slammed through the shack's roof which caved in. She saw a humanoid figure scatter away from the impact area. She regained her footing and surveyed the scene.

"AH! What the hell happened?!" Blake heard someone with a raspy voice shout.

"I think I might have fallen on your house…" Blake said with regret in her voice.

"Well that's obvious! Help me out here!" the voice shouted.

"Where are you?" Blake asked, scanning the broken shack.

"Right under you!" The voice shouted in anger.

"AH!" Blake shouted in surprise, seeing what she could surmise was a human with a _horrendous_ skin condition.

"Stop gawking and get off of me!" The man shouted with his continuing anger.

"Ok." Blake said, moving to one end of the giant piece of metal pinning down the man. She lifted the large, metal plate off of the man.

"Thank you." The man said, dusting himself off. "The name's Raul, pleased to meet you." Raul said.

"Nice to meet you Raul, I'm Blake." Blake said. "I hate to ask but…" Blake said, debating whether or not to ask the question in the first place.

"Yes?" Raul asked, raising what remained of his eyebrows.

"What happened to your…" Blake continued, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"Skin?" Raul asked, motioning for Blake to take a seat.

"Yea…" Blake said, taking the seat.

"You've never seen a ghoul before, have you?" Raul asked, already knowing the answered to his question. He had seen that look before, that look of fear. After the fiftieth time, he just got used to it. If what Blake said was true, then it would make sense why she would be surprised to see him.

"No. I have never even heard of ghouls where I'm from." Blake said.

"Hm. Well, it won't hurt anyone to tell you." Raul said as he grabbed an unopened bottle of tequila. He grabbed two shot glasses and filled them both with the alcohol.

"Want one?" Raul said, offering her the shot of tequila.

"Fine, but I'm only doing one." Blake said, hesitantly taking the shot and placing it on a table next to her.

She watched as he downed the shot without flinching and refilled it. Then he began to talk. "A ghoul, is on every level except for, in some cases mentally, a human. Now you might be asking about _how_ one gets ghoulified. Well I must stay it certainly isn't anything fun, that's for sure." Raul said with a chuckle as Blake took a sip from her shot glass.

"It happens a human is exposed to an unimaginable amount of radiation. After one is exposed to that radiation for long enough, their skin begins to peel and flake, your brain begins to think things that you normally wouldn't. Radiation affects both one's physical and mental health. After living for about one hundred years as a ghoul, some people start to become…" Raul paused, inhaling slowly, then just as slowly exhaling, letting the air flow out of him. "Feral. They become unable to reason or even speak. They go from sentient to animalistic, but then again, even those who aren't ghouls can be quite beastly and evil too." Raul explained, taking another shot.

"What do people think about ghouls?" Blake asked, taking a second sip from her glass.

"Some hate us because we scare them. Others hate us because we are 'mutants'. And the people I _do_ like, the more tolerant one's judge us on our actions, not our appearances." Raul said with a smile painted on his face as he leaned back in his chair.

"What do you feel about the people that don't like you?" Blake asked, leaning in for his answer.

"People don't have to like me, they just have to tolerate me without trying to kill me. But for those that hate me, I don't blame them." Raul said.

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Because maybe it's just a natural reaction to seeing something for the first time. Especially if that something looks like this." Raul said with an amused laugh.

"How can you defend those who hate you?!" Blake shouted with burst of anger unbeknownst to Raul. Then it was Raul's chance to surprise Blake. He shot up from his chair and walked towards her and took a seat on the floor in front her, like a child listening to teacher read him a story.

"I am not defending them in the slightest. I simply trying to understand where they are coming from. If you _ever_ wish to change someone's mind on something, you can't just call them names and walk away. You have to hear them out, address their points, and treat them as people, not like some type of Diablo." Raul explained, raising from his seat on the floor and walking back to his seat.

"But you can never change their minds." Blake mumbled with defeat.

"Only if you think like that, then yea. But most people who have been swallowed by evil ideologies are just those in the middle who were forced to pick a side. They have reasoned themselves into that radical position, and all you have to do to get them out of those positions is reason them back out of it. Make no mistake, there is evil on both sides, and good on both sides. You just have to distinguish the good from the bad. Trying to fit people into binaries is for the weak minded. There are good humans and bad ghouls, bad humans and nice ghouls." Raul said, downing the rest of the bottle of tequila.

"I-I never saw it like that I'm sor-" Blake said.

"Don't be. You're still a kid, you're still learning. Cause if you keep on beating yourself up, how do you ever expect to grow?" Raul said, walking over to Blake and placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"So how about you tell me a bit about yourself?' Raul said, taking his seat.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia awoke the next day to the sounds of gunfire and shouting. She shot up from her bed with her pet Wanamingo in tow and grabbed her plasma pistol and weapon. She opened the door to Lily's room, her bed empty.

"Lily!" Ilia shouted, trying to locate her host, but to no avail. She was nowhere to be seen. Ilia rushed out the door with her companion to find Lily and Marcus fighting adult wanamingos near the gate of Jacobstown. Many of the nightkin were wielding incinerators and flamers, tearing apart the pack of wanamingos in the flames of their weapons. However their valiant effort would all be in vain. Although the wanamingos' numbers were being cut, it wasn't enough. They were strong enemies, enemies that were more than just a foe to the super mutants and nightkin.

Both the wanamingos and super mutants were created by humans, made to be used as tools of war. Weapons of war that would not be wielded, but instead learn to fight on their own. And now they were fighting against one another, created by the same people, and yet, fighting on different sides. As they fought a certain young woman watched them fight not only for their lives, but also for their home. She recognized how they fought, with both skill and desperation. Just like how the fanus fought for their rights. Maybe that's why she took a liking to this place, because the super mutants and nightkin reminded her of the fanus in their struggle to just be accepted by the humans.

But this place, it also taught her something she thought she could never accept. That there were some good humans, like Doc Henry. But right now she had to do what she could, and that was help out. She ran up to Marcus, who only ordered her to stay away.

"Ilia, you are needed for something else! We can hold the line, go assist with Doctor Henry!" Marcus ordered.

"HOLD THE LINE?! YOU'RE GETTING SLAUGHTERED OUT HERE! I'M NOT GOING TO WATCH AS YOU GET SLAUGHTERED!" Ilia shouted, not wanting to see the people she had come to know, and in some cases love, to die.

"THAT'S AN ORDER! NOW GO! WE CAN'T HOLD THEM OFF FOR MUCH LONGER!" Marcus yelled. Ilia ran towards the lodge that held Doc Henry with her pet following her. She rushed into Henry's room, only to see Doc Henry packing up with his assistant. She ran over to the doctor to assist him. As she helped him, she began to asked him about what happened.

"What's going on?" Ilia asked as she put some folders into a bag.

"The wanamingos from the cave you surveyed attacked the town in search of the youngling that imprinted on you." Doc Henry explained in a grim tone.

"So, it's my fault then…" Ilia said with a down trodden tone.

"No. They would have attacked us sooner or later. It was only a matter of time. I'm just glad I was able to retrieve some incinerators and flamers from an old friend of mine." The doctor said as he began to load a plasma rifle.

"Why are you leaving?" Ilia asked, packing up the last of his things.

"I'm not leaving. I'm going to fight with the super mutants and nightkin against the wanamingos." Doctor Henry said as his assistant took out a pistol.

"What's the point of packing all of this up then?" Ilia asked.

"To continue my work. If I live, then I will continue my research." Henry said as he loaded up on plasma grenades.

"And if you die?" Ilia asked, grabbing some stealth boys.

"Then you, your pet, and Lily will have to seek out a friend of mine, Arcade Gannon." Doctor Henry said as he opened the lodge doors and readied himself for combat. "Oh, and if I die, you can have some… Special equipment under my name." Henry said, motioning towards a map sprawled out on his desk and a key on that map.

"What should I do until then? Just wait here?" Ilia asked.

"Yes. You are needed for greater things, and you can't do those things if you're dead." Henry said as he and his assistant walked out the door.

She could hear the fire burning the wanamingo's skin and mutant's skin being slashed. Then, after ten minutes of the sounds, it ended. The battle ceased, and there was an eerie silence around the settlement of Jacob's town. She walked out to find a number of super mutants and wanamingos scattered across the battlefield. She slowly trekked across the corpse strewn settlement, observing the carnage in her presence. It was disgusting. Seeing those she cared about dead or dying on the ground she called home for quite some time.

"Dearie! Are you ok?" Ilia heard her host as she quickly sauntered over to her.

"Lily! You're ok!" Ilia said with relief as she gave a bear hug to the large nightkin.

"Of course, I was Dearie! I will not let those I care about die when I am still alive!" Lily said, returning with a warm and comforting embrace.

"Did Doctor Henry make it out alive?" Ilia asked with a ting of fear, to which Lily shook her head.

"I'm sorry Dearie, he didn't." Lily responded as she released Ilia.

Ilia froze at this, and a few tears fell from her eyes. It was strange to her, she despised humans and yet here she was crying for one. She however stopped herself from crying anymore as she remembered what he wanted her to do. Doc. Henry may have been a human but his work was worthy of her respect and she needed to make sure he didn't die in vain.

"He told me I had 'greater things' that I would do. I think I have some idea of where to start." Ilia said, leading her companion into the lodge. She walked over to the doctor's desk and picked up the keys that laid on the open map. She took a seat, looking at the map. There were multiple points on the map that were circled in red, and a single place on the map, in the upper left corner, was circled in green with the words 'Jacobstown' above that green circle.

"I think I know where he wants us to go first." Ilia said, pointing to one of the many red circles that had the words Remnants Bunker over it. She wasn't sure what she would find there but she knew Doc. Henry had secrets, a bit of doubt fell into her, she didn't really know Doc. Henry that much. She only knew his current mission of helping the nightkin and she hoped whatever she finds does not destroy her respect for him but the white fang part of her told her that he was a human and that all humans were monsters. She pushed those thoughts to the side, she couldn't make baseless accusations like that he helped her and others of different races, she did not want to believe it, she would need to see this place first before she could make judgment. Doc. Henry deserved that much at least.

"Ok Dearie, I'll follow you, but first we need our gear if we are going to leave Jacobs town." Lily said, walking towards her house to grab her things.

Veronica Santangelo

Veronica was currently meandering around the 188-trading post when she saw something falling from the sky. 'Is that a comet?' Veronica thought as she ran towards the area of impact. She heard a large crash and the sound of someone screaming in pain. She rushed over to the source of the screams to find a beautiful young lady with long yellow locks in a medical stretcher. She ran up to her and injected some Med-X to ease her pain.

"Calm down!" Veronica pleaded with the girl as her screams died down to pained whimpering.

"Please help me…" She pleaded, a few tears falling from her face.

"It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright, now come on, let's get you out of that stretcher." Veronica said as she undid the straps holding the girl down. "Name's Veronica by the way." Veronica said as she helped the girl to her feet.

"Yang." Yang said taking Veronica's hand as she helped her to her feet.

"Well Yang, I have to say, you have nice hair." Veronica said with a nervous laugh.

"Thanks, I get that a lot." Yang said, following Veronica.

"You're welcome. What happened to your arm?" Veronica asked.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it." Yang said, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Veronica apologized, not realizing that Yang's arm was a sensitive subject.

"It's fine, just don't bring it up again, ok?" Yang asked.

"Sure thing." Veronica said, a bit embarrassed for being so nosey.

"Where are we going by the way?" Yang asked.

"To someone who might be able to get you a prosthetic, if he's in a good mood that is." Veronica said.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that, but why do this for me? I mean we've only just met." Yang asked.

"Because an old friend of mine told me trust is not given, it's earned." Veronica said, smiling at Yang.

"He sounds like a nice guy." Yang said, her curiosity rising about who Veronica mentioned.

"He was." Veronica said.

"Were you two, you know?" Yang asked, hoping to get some info on her.

"No! No. Nothing like that, just friends!" Veronica reassured her, holding her hands up defensively.

"Oh." Yang said, following Veronica to her friend. It took them a few hours to reach the person she was talking about. They arrived somewhere Veronica referred to as a 'Follower of the Apocalypse Outpost'. The friend to which she referred was a doctor, a doctor who was currently checking her wounds.

"So, when do I get the prosthetic?" Yang asked as the doctor treated her wounds.

"Soon. I just need to go get some things." Veronica said, walking into the other room. She entered the room and retrieved her special project that she had been working on for a few months now. Veronica had always been interested weapons and the human body, so when she combined the two, she came up with a weaponized prosthetic. With her combined knowledge of her favorite weapon, the power fist, and her interest on the human nervous system, she was able to construct a working prototype. She carefully lifted it out of its protective case and carried it over to Yang.

"Wow…" Yang said as Veronica placed it on the table next to her. "What is that?" Yang asked in wonder.

"My pet project, I like technology." Veronica said.

"And the human body." Yang said with a smirk. "Mine especially. I've noticed you've been checking me out for the past hour Veronica." Yang said with a laugh.

"You noticed!?" Veronica said, shifting in embarrassment.

"Of course, I noticed." Yang said, a warm smile written across her face. "When am I going to get hooked up to that thing?" Yang asked as she pointed at the prosthetic. It was painted black with white, vertical stripes going down the length of its arm and red spots on the fists. The fingers were painted all red, with the palm of the hand painted green.

"It looks amazing!" Yang shouted with excitement.

"Yea… I think I spent more time painting it then putting it together." Veronica said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, here's to a new friend." Yang said, holding out her hand. Veronica took it and smiled.

"Yea, a new friend." Veronica said, with the façade of a smile on her face. The doctor injected Yang with some Med-X. Yang's eyes slowly shut as the amnestic took effect, her muscles relaxed and her breathing started to calm down. Veronica stayed in the room for the entire operation. She stayed by Yang's side until she awoke from the drug.

She slowly leaned up and used her muscles, flexing the arm and fingers of the prosthetic she had.

"It works." Yang said, amazed that it worked.

"Of course, it works! What are you going to call it?" Veronica asked.

"What?" Yang asked, a bit confused.

"What are you going to call it? Every special weapon in the Mojave has a name. My old friend named a few of his weapons, and since your new hand and weapon is one of a kind, you should name it!" Veronica said with excitement.

"I think I'll name it… Ember Celica." Yang said, smiling.

"That's an elegant name…" Veronica said, smiling back at Yang. "Now let's get to training, the power fist is a powerful weapon, but only as good as those who wield it." Veronica said with a wide smile.

Thanks for reading!

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	6. Of Monsters and Men

Thanks as always to commanderpill for helping me out!

Cinder Fall

Six and Cinder had arrived at the last stop to New Vegas. The place where they stayed was in a place called Westside. He had reassured Cinder that it was a safe place to stay for the night. "So, what's going to happen once we get to New Vegas?" Cinder asked before Six succumbed to sleep.

"Teach you, train you, that kinda stuff." Six said, covering himself with the blanket.

'Teach me what?' Cinder thought, drifting off into sleep.

'Probably the history?' Pyrrha asked.

'Maybe, but what would I gain by learning about this world's history?' Cinder questioned.

'The mistakes made in the past?' Pyrrha said with a shrugging.

'Possibly, but what mistakes could have been made that weren't made in Remnant?' Cinder asked.

'You never know, maybe he'll teach you about something _he_ did.' Pyrrha answered.

'You really don't trust him, do you?' Cinder shot at Pyrrha.

'Well do you?' Pyrrha countered.

'…' Cinder didn't respond.

'My point exactly.' Pyrrha said. 'You don't have to despise him, but I just feel as if he's hiding something.' Pyrrha reasoned.

'And how would you know that?' Cinder questioned.

'Call it a hunch.' Pyrrha said.

'I'll keep that in mind.' Cinder said, drifting off to sleep.

She woke up the next morning to sound of gunfire and explosions. 'Oh I can tell today is going to be just wonderful.' She thought with heavy sarcasm.

"Cinder, it looks like we might have to fight out way out of here." Six said, drawing his Katana and his Great Bear Grenade Rifle.

"Against who exactly?" She asked.

"Two rival gangs." Six replied, peeking out of one of the many broken windows.

"Would either of them support us?" Cinder asked, to which Six was quick to reply.

"No. If we can make it out of here unseen, then we're golden. But if we get spotted then we're gonna have to start shooting, you got that?" Six asked as he prepared to open the door.

"Crystal." Cinder said, taking cover on the opposite side of the door. "By the way, how many are there?" Cinder asked.

"Five on my right, three on my left. First take out the five then we finish off the three." Six said as he loaded the grenade rifle with plasma grenades. "By the looks of it they have light armor, so hollow point should be best for this situation." Six said. Cinder thought back to yesterday when Six was teaching her about the different types of ammunition and what it was good for.

"I'm going to breach on three, you stay behind cover and give me fire support." Six said before starting the countdown. "ONE!" Six shouted just loud enough for Cinder to hear him. "TWO!" Six continued the countdown. "THREE!" Six shouted as he kicked down the door and began launching plasma grenades at the group of five, blowing two of their legs off. He felt the shockwave as bullets from Cinder's pistol cut through the air, hitting two of the uninjured men in the head. Another grenade hit its mark, a large field of green engulfed the final man of the larger group as he turned into a pile of green goo.

"Now the group of three!' Six shouted as he ran down out into the open. He heard two gunshots as two of the three remaining men hit the floor with a bullet wound in each of their foreheads. He dove in front of the last man, who started to swing his super sledge at Six. He dove out of the way of the first swing, grazing the man's legs with his blade. He screamed out in pain as he zeroed in on Six. He began to charge at Six, send a barrage of swings his way. A Six began to retreat, he was caught off guard and was hit in the chest by the super sledge. It sent him flying to the ground, his arms and legs colliding with the rough desert sands. He raised the enhanced sledge hammer for one final blow, but just as he was about to finished the Courier. A gunshot blast through his head, his body went limp and doubled over from the weight of the weapon.

Cinder ran up to Six to make sure he was ok. "You alright?" Cinder asked as she approached her companion.

"Yea, I'm fine. You've gotten better at shooting." Six complemented, to which Cinder merely smirked.

"Indeed, I have." Cinder said, holding out her hand as Six took it, rising from him seated position. "So, where to next?" Cinder asked.

"I think you know the answer to that." Six said with a smirk of his own.

"Home?" Cinder asked.

"Home." Six said, nodding his head.

Adam Taurus

It was a calm day on the outskirts of Vale. Adam and a few White Fang grunts were patrolling the area for anything out of the ordinary. As their shift began to roll towards its end, one of the grunts pointed out something that was of no interest to Adam.

"Sir you see that?" the grunt asked, pointing towards a dark cloud moving towards the group. The occasional bolt of green lightning would extend from it, giving a loud, thunderous boom a few seconds later.

"Yea, let's get back to base to see if any of the other patrols found any humans." Adam said, walking back into the city. As they walked, the cloud followed them, the thunder getting louder and louder. Adam paid it no mind, seeing as it was only weather.

After walking for a few minutes they arrived at the command tent just on the outer edge of the city. Adam ordered the grunts to stay outside the tent as he entered. He was greeted by his lieutenant. The lieutenant was a Large bear Faunas that stood around 6,4 towering over most other members including himself, with a mask that covered his entire face that was shaped into a king Taijitu. He had the normal white fang grunt outfit with the only other modification being some wrist guards, His weapon of choice was a simple chainsaw that he once told belong to his father when he worked for the Schnee's when they tried expanding to the wood industry. What was interesting about him was the fact that even though he hates the Schnee's as much as he did he was Ironically much more calm than himself as he had a Atlesian accent to prove to those in atlas that faunas can be civilized, but make no mistake for what he lacks in hatred he makes up for in cruelty.

"Sir, our patrols in the city have been encountering clusters of grimm. So far they have been able to kill them, but the farther you go the stronger the grimm are. We need a plan to deal with them before they become a problem." The lieutenant said.

"Send our best men to accompany the normal patrols to the inner city." Adam responded as he began to clean his weapons.

"Yes sir." The lieutenant said with a salute. Adam walked out of the command tent to go on a walk with his newly cleaned weapons. A grunt ran up to him to ask him a question.

"Sir, where are you going?"

"For a walk." Adam said, walking in the direction of the storm refusing to explain further leaving the white fang grunt in confusion. He started to walk into the path of the storm as green bolts of lightning shot down around him. 'What the hell is happening?!' Adam though as the clouds began to float to the ground, engulfing Adam in the clouds.

After what seemed to be hours Adam woke up to find himself surrounded by humans with red padded armor and rusty machetes. One of them, that Adam surmised was their leader stepped forward. He was a large man larger than even his own lieutenant he had a large metal helmet shaped to looked like a bearded man, it had horns and had a line of red hairs on the sides and top of the helmet. He had a set of full plated bronze armor with red cloth in different parts of it.

His weapon of choice was a large sword almost the size of the man himself, It however was not shiny or nice like many weapons he had seen in the past. No this weapon clearly had been used many times and look to be scraped together and in a weird way refined. It had a grip that looked as if it used to belong to a war hammer, its handle was probably the cleanest part about it had spikes on the side of it and in the middle had a picture of a bull. The blade was straight but had a clear sharpen end to it and had some symbols on it what he assumed was words that he could not understand.

"Who is this and why have we stopped." The man spoke with a deep and ominous voice.

one of the men around him spoke.

"We found him lying on the ground sir we thought you would want to see him." The man responded.

"I do not _CARE_ for some random wastelander, take care of him and let us move." The large man spat clearly not interested in this.

The men nodded and moved their rifles at him, clearly not interested in dying Adam jumped quickly and sliced at the man in front of him cutting his throat. Not wasting time, he jabbed his blade into the other man next to him piercing his heart. The third and last man shot at Adam with a 9mm machine gun blocks and swiftly moves from the bullets but one manages to hit him in the shoulder and Adam notices his lack of aura. Worrying about that later he closed in to the last man and cut his head clean off.

"Hmm so you're not some random waster after all." Adam turned to look at the man after hearing him speak again. "Still you are in our way and I do _NOT_ have time for this." The man turned to another person next to him. The man was clearly of much better skill and rank than the three he just killed he had actual armor some of which was plated and had a weapon on his fist that was similar to that idiotic blond whose arm he cut off during the fall of beacon.

"Kill him." The large man commanded, and as soon as he did the man next to him sprang into action, he dashed forward quickly to Adam but was slow enough for Adam to move out of the way of his attack. His fist hit the ground an explosion blasted a crater at where his hand was. Adam cursed under his breath if he had his aura he could use his semblance and end this fight as quickly as the blonde from before, but without it? He could win that was for sure but it would take a little more effort.

The man turned around and fiercely attacked, his jabs were quick and precise but Adam was faster, dodging another strike Adam kicked the man back a bit and went to slice his arm off but to his surprise the man slid FORWARD just before he could get the hit in and punched Adam in the chest. The hit was painful because his aura couldn't absorb the hit and he knew he couldn't risk any more hits. Adam jumped back and pulled out blush and shot at the man.

The man moved out of the way but a few bucks managed to hit him but he kept moving, the man jumped into the air and went for a killing blow at Adam. Adam smirked at this as he was reminded of the blonde and with just as good efficiency from before he cuts the man's arm off. The man yelled in pain as he held his stump that was spurting blood Adam then sliced the man's head off to finish the fight

Looking around he saw some shocked faces of the men around him, He looked to the Leader and he heard him speak. "What is your name?"

The question confused Adam as he was sure he was known worldwide by now so he responded with hate and malice due to his pain and how the man kept trying to kill him. "Fuck you human, you know who I am."

Quicker than Adam could have believed the man capable of he swiftly ran to Adam. Adam had a few moments to shoot blush at him but the bucks just fell off his armor as the giant grabbed the rifle out of his hands and threw it to the sides, Adam tried jabbing him with his katana but without the help of aura he wouldn't be able to pierce the armor. The giant punched Adam with great force while also twisting his wrist to make him lose the blade in his hand, afterwards he punched him again in the chest cracking a few ribs due to how damaged he was already in that area and making Adam cough blood. The giant picked him up by the collar of his clothing and brought him to his face.

"I would choose my next words carefully if I were you boy, Now I will ask again Who. Are. You?" the Giant commanded fiercely.

"My name is Adam Taurus, a Colonel in the White Fang." Adam responded unable to resist the Giant that held him.

"Well, Adam, due to your skill in battle you have the honor of dying by the hands of Legate Lanius, Monster of the East." After saying this the now named Lanius brought his blade to Adam's face and since Adam was to injured he couldn't fight back. To him it seemed like the end.

But before he could kill Adam a new voice spoke a much calmer and sinister voice that reminded Adam of Cinder. "Hold on Lanius I believe this one could be of great use to us." Lanius stopped as he looked over to who spoke along with Adam. It was a man of similar stature to Adam, he wore what looked to be a fox on his head with blacked out sunglasses covering his eyes. He was wearing light armor similar to the other men around him except he had a flag of a bull on his back and from what he saw at his side he had a what seemed to be a katana that acted as a chainsaw on his side, and he had a sinister smile on his face.

"Vulpes, for what purpose could this man be of use to us?" Lanius spoke with clear malice for the man next to him.

"Why Lanius this man is able to kill a praetorian, we need men as skilled as himself. You know that." Vulpes spoke with confidence.

Clearly angered by his response Lanius spoke "Remember your place _FOX_! I am the leader of the Legion now my word is law, the only reason you even draw breath is because Caesar willed it!" Lanius spat. Then Lanius calmed down and spoke again. "But, what you saw is true his skill could be useful...Fine we will talk about your choice later, for now he can live." After this Lanius punched Adam in the face one more time and threw him on the ground and began to walk away.

Vulpes walked up to Adam who was losing consciousness and he put a slave collar on his neck, he called for two men to carry Adam somewhere but before Adam completely lost consciousness he heard the man speak. "I wonder what stories you can tell me Adam." the last thing Adam saw before sleep was the smile on the man's face.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia had many things on her mind, what she would find in the bunker, what Doctor Henry's past was, and what she should name her pet. The latter of which was quite important. She needed to have a name that would be easily recognizable and memorable.

"Hey Lily, what should I name my pet?" Ilia asked, trying to find some advice from her host turned companion.

"Something like Cutie of Mr. Cuddlesworth seems nice." Lily answered.

"How does Fizz sound?" Ilia asked, hoping to get something in the way of acceptance.

"Why that sounds amazing Dearie!" Lily said to the relief of Ilia. The two of them walked for two hours until they found the door to the bunker. It was unassuming to say the least, all it was, was a door with a wooden frame and a bit of chain-linked fence to fill in the gaps. She slowly opened it, only to find another door, this one made of thick, heavy metal. As she looked for a key hole, she found no such luck. That was until Lily pointed out the key slot right beside the door. Ilia inserted the key, watching as the heavy metal door rose from its original position.

Once the door was finished opening, Ilia peered forwards, only to find a long, linear hallway supported by metal buttresses and steel mesh floors. Lily and she walked down the metal steps, coming to another door, only this one had no key hole, but rather what appeared to be a terminal she Remembered the words she needed to say to open the door "Dear Old Friends Remember Navarro" The door open quickly and she stepped in. As she entered the much larger room she saw a large plane which seemed similar to the one's the White Fang managed to commandeer for the invasion of Vale. She also noticed that there was an insignia on the side of the aircraft. It had a large E surrounded by multiple smaller five-point stars.

She circled it, observing the triple barrel gun at its head and the minigun mounted on the left side of the craft. Then she moved on to multiple metal suits with electricity arching off of them which were held up by some sort of blue field. The blue field also prevented her from obtaining one of those suits. The suits themselves were made up of two pieces from what she could tell. The first piece was the helmet which had an insectoid–like appearance to them, from the eye-slots to the overall shape of them. The second part was the suit which was heavily armored. It had reinforced, metal shoulder pads and armored legs.

She moved deeper into the bunker, a feeling of dread as to what she might find shot through her. For a second she considered going back and forgetting about this place, remembering what Doc was trying to do, the good things he did. That though was swept away by the overwhelming curiosity that had grown up in Ilia to the point where she felt as though she was going to burst. She _needed_ answers, and she was going to get them.

The feeling of dread swept through her once more as she entered the final room. It was smaller than the other one, but had far more things in it. On one side there were four screens, all of which were displaying static, thus no picture was being shown. There was a glowing circular table in the middle of the room with yellow markers sprawled across it and a single red on in the middle. There were also some papers laid across the table. Finally there was a large map that greatly resembled the one Doctor Henry had given her on the wall opposite of the screens. It had a moving contraption that moved and stopped at certain locations on the map.

"What is this?" Ilia asked out loud as Fizz emerged from her backpack which he had been sleeping in. She moved towards the table and read out the title of the first paper she picked up.

"How to purify the Mojave Wasteland by… no… no it can't be!" She shouted in disbelief. She knew it, she knew the humans were not worth saving. She knew they were horrific creatures that the fanus should have wiped out long ago. But this, it was shocking to core that the one human she respected, the human that she thought was an exception to the rule, even _he_ was corrupted by evil.

She began to reread the paper, this time with some composure. "How to Purify the Mojave Wasteland, by Doctor Henry." She began to read further, certain words sticking out to her. Super Mutants, FEV, Forced Experimentation, Wipe Out. But one word stood above all others, Nuke. 'What was a 'nuke' and what was it capable of?' Ilia thought as put down the first paper. The next paper read 'The Preliminary Effects of the FEV on Human Subjects.' As she read she realized something about the humans in this world, they were far worse than those in Remnant.

On Remnant, the least the fanus were subjected to were taunts and being made fun of, the worst being made into servants who were pain next to nothing for their work and treated like slaves. The humans here on the other hand, experimented on each other. They had no regard for the feelings of those that were being experimented on, and why were they doing this? War. These 'Super Mutants' were going to be used as a new weapon to use against the enemy.

She picked up a third paper that read 'The Great War and Post-War Mutations.' She began to read through the paper to find that not only would humans in this world experiment on each other, but that they almost caused the very extinction of their very race. In an event called 'The Great War' that occurred over three hundred years ago, the countries of this world fired nuclear ICBMs at each other for two hours. After the war only and estimated 1% of the world's population survived.

She put he third paper down before finishing it, sickened by what she had read. Then a thought formed in her mind. These humans, whatever they were called, bared a striking resemblance to the SDC. Just thinking about the cursed company caused rage to build up inside her.

She picked up all the papers and put them in an empty folder. Which was packed away in her backpack. She found a strange looking key on the table. She pocketed it and walked out of the room with all of the information she could gather on this group.

"Did you find anything Dearie?" Lily asked.

"No, just some papers and a key." Ilia said. She couldn't bare to tell Lily the truth as to who was the one responsible for her condition. But what angered her, what infuriated her more than anything was that Doctor Henry had the nerve to try and make up for what he did in the past. And on top of that he didn't even tell the Nightkin and Super Mutants what he did in the past.

"Come on Lily, let's go to the next point on the map." Ilia said opening her map. She looked at one of the green circles that had the words, Followers of the Apocalypse Main Base. She pointed to that spot on the map and said, "We go here next."

Winter Schnee

Winter awoke from the impact of the crash. She regained her senses and took a wide sweeping scan of her surroundings. She saw a large, green, structure in the distance. She decided that would be her best bet to figuring out where she was. Once she had that information, she would begin her search for Weiss and her teammates. She walked for what was an hour until she arrived at the giant green structure which turned out to be a lizard of some sort. She walked into the settlement taking note of the homes scattered around the settlement.

A man with tanned skin with a long rifle in his hand approached her with a calm stride. He had a warm smile on his face as he neared her.

"Welcome to Novac, what brings you to our humble little town?" He asked her with a welcoming tone.

"I was wondering where I was." Winter said, using her manners to make a good impression on the man.

"Well, as I told you, you are in Novac." The man said with an amused chuckle.

"No, I mean what continent am I on?" Winter asked, trying to put on a nice voice.

"I don't know about continent, but you're in the Mojave Wasteland." The man said. "If you need somewhere to stay you should talk to… oh, no. not her, she's dead." The man said to himself.

"Is there anywhere I can stay the night and find a map of the Mojave Wasteland?" Winter asked.

"I think Boone wouldn't mind sharing his bed with you, but I'm not so sure about a map." The man said as he began to walk away. 'Hm.' Winter thought, a bit of concern starting to surface about how they called this place. 'Wasteland.' Was this place truly that horrible? Well none of that mattered at this point in time. She ran up to the man whom she had talked to earlier.

"Where can I find this Boone, man?" Winter asked him.

"In the dinosaur." The man said, pointing to the large, green lizard. "By the way, what's your name?" the man asked.

"Winter Schnee, and yours?" She asked.

"Manny Vargas. Winter, huh? Nice name. I bet the boys back in first recon would _love_ to hear this." Manny chuckled.

"Why would that be?" Winter asked, a bit confused. Manny only walked away from her and said, "Patrolling in the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter." Winter heard him say.

She walked into the green lizard, opening the door to find a dark-skinned man behind a counter. She approached him and asked, "Boone, I assume?"

The man shook his head. "He's up at the mouth." The man said, motioning up the stairs. She walked up the wooden stairs, hearing every creak emit from each step. She slowly opened the door, seeing the back of a bald man holding a rifle similar to Manny's. She quietly shut the door behind her and cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Hello, my name is-" Winter said.

"I don't care what your name is." Boone said, not even turning to face her.

"Excuse me?" Winter asked in disbelief.

"You heard me, I don't care what your name is. Now get out." Boone said with a hostile hiss.

Winter was about to Respond to this man's rudeness but she stopped herself, she was a atlas specialist and she had to deal with the likes of ugg Qrow she can deal with a rude town militia guard. "look I need your help and I was told you can help me, Please its to help people." She said hoping to appeal to the man's humanity

"You have two minutes starting now." Boone said, looking down at a silver watch that was on his wrist.

"I have to find my sister and her friends before they are killed." Winter said.

"Anything else?" Boone asked, still looking at his watch.

"Yes, I need a map, and a guide as well." She said.

"Hm. If you had asked me five months ago, I would have told you go die with them, but after a… friend managed to convince me otherwise, I decided to be more open to others. Consider this point where I am 'reaching out' to you." Boone said, turning around to face the woman who was asking him to help her.

Winter saw the visage of a soldier, but not just any soldier, a veteran. He wore reflective shades and beret. He had a grim expression on his face. A face she could recognize after her time in the atlas military.

"I'll help you but only on one condition, you _never_ ask about my past, got it?" Boone said with a tone so stern and serious it would put General Ironwood to shame.

"Ok, I won't talk about your past." Winter said like a private responding to an order from his drill-sergeant.

"Good. Now, I don't have a map, but with the amount of traveling I did with a friend of mine, you've got one of the best guides of Mojave." Boone said. "But before we go anywhere, we are going to get some supplies." Boone said, pulling out a sack filled with something light and made of metal. "Take this to the guy downstairs and ask for travel supplies, ok? My shift will be done in an hour." Boone said, handing the sack to Winter. She did as he asked and after waiting for an hour Boone came down from the mouth of the green lizard.

"What's your name?" Boone asked.

"Winter Schnee." Winter said.

"Ha! That reminds me of a saying." Boone said with slight smirk.

"Patrolling in the Mojave makes you wish for a nuclear Winter?" Winter said with an unamused look.

"Yea, now let's get going." Boone said, leading Winter out of green lizard.

And that's the end of another chapter!

I put an Easter egg in it referencing a certain Youtuber's companion, I hope you can find it!


	7. Crazy, Crazy, Crazy

Red Squidkid: Yes it was.

And as always, thanks to commanderpill for assisting me with the chapter.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia, with Fizz in her backpack, and Lily following her, was walking towards what she knew to be where the Followers of the Apocalypse Reside. Before Lily and her had left the safety of the bunker, Ilia made sure that she had obtained all of the documents in it. There was an entire notebook that simply had the words _Factions of the Mojave_ written on its cover. Truth be told it was quite helpful for someone such as her who was not very familiar with the subject. It told her which factions were openly hostile, openly friendly, or somewhere in between.

"Lily, have you heard of the Jackal and Viper gunslingers?" Ilia asked as she was reading through the notebook.

"I can't say I have Dearie." Lily said.

"Well, if we encounter them be prepared to fight." Ilia said, petting Fizz. As they rounded the corner of the long trail, a swarm of giant flying creatures with large orange wings and big dark-blue abdomens with blood-red eyes. They charged Ilia and Lily as Fizz ducked into the former's backpack.

Ilia grabbed her weapon and plasma pistol and began firing at the creatures. Lily took out her sword and began to swing at them, impaling one through the abdomen and cutting another two's wings clean off. Ilia began to fire both of her weapons at the creatures. They continued to swarm her and Lily as the two of them continued to fend off their attackers.

One of the things flew at Ilia with its stinger at the front. Ilia ducked, whipping the thing's stinger, sending the creature into a crazed frenzy. She ran to cover so that she could reload her weapons. However, she was still being tailed by the attackers. She began to flay her whip at the creatures as they began to get closer to her. 'If we don't kill these things soon, we'll be dead.' Ilia though, charging at the swarm, zapping the creatures with her whip.

As the dust settled Ilia began to look for Lily. She scanned the area but to success. Panic began to spread through her. For her first time in this world she was alone, it was just her and Fizz now, that was until she heard Lily calling her.

"Dearie! Where are you?" Ilia heard her call out.

"I'm right here Lily." Ilia deadpanned. "We should find a place to stay for the night. We don't want to encounter any nightstalkers right now." Ilia advised. The Factions of the Mojave wasn't the only notebook Ilia had picked up while in the bunker. She had also grabbed a notebook by the name of _The Creatures of the Mojave_. It detailed every creature that lived in the Mojave Wasteland. It listed the threat they posed, if they were poisonous or venomous, and uses for anything that could be harvested from their corpses.

Lily found an abandoned barn shed and a few unused cots. She shut the door behind Ilia as they both took to their beds. Ilia tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. There was something plaguing her mind that refused to let her sleep.

'Why? Why am I still thinking about _him_?' Ilia thought. 'He's just a human! Why do I care?!' She thought. 'What he did, what his comrades did, it wasn't right.' Ilia thought as she drifted into sleep, still pondering on the subject. 'Why are humans here so malicious towards each other? Are humans just naturally malicious and violent?' She continued to go through what she knew about Doctor Henry. She knew he was a part of a group called the Enclave that tried to kill everyone who wasn't them. She also knew that after being a part of the Enclave, he joined Jacobstown and tried to help cure the super mutants & nightkin. What did he have to gain by undoing his deeds?

Ilia felt something soft, slimy and small against one of her cheeks. She slowly opened her eyes to find Fizz standing there, mewing for his mother. She smiled, and wrapped her arm around him, feeling him snuggle her for a few minutes before falling asleep with his mother. This is one of the few things she liked about this world, how kind those who cared for her could be.

Courier Six

As Six and Cinder walked towards their final destination, a horrifying thought crossed his mind. If he didn't get to the Lucky 38 soon, he might cross paths with his ex, Cassette Fairaday. who for lack of a better phrase, was fucking insane. Even worse, she was the jealous type too, which meant if she saw him walking with Cinder she would add two and two together and get five.

"Six? Why are we walking faster than normal?" Cinder asked.

"So that we have some sunlight left by the time we get to the house." Six lied, his anxiety taking over as his slow pace turned to a light jog.

"Six, you're acting… strange. Are you ok?" Cinder asked, legitimately worried about the man's sanity.

'I think he's finally going to crack.' Pyrrha said, a bit worried. 'Do you think you can take him if he turns on you?' she asked.

'By a slim margin, yes. If he truly has succumbed to insanity then that would mean he would be more erratic and less logical. Thus, I would be able to outwit him.' Cinder thought, responding to Pyrrha's quandary.

"Yea, I'm fine, just a bit on edge." Six said, his shooting hand hovering over Maria's holster. It was only a few hours until they reached the homestretch of their journey. As Six opened the gate to Freeside he heard the sound of shoes on broken road coming up from behind them. As he turned around to see the source of the noise, he was hit hard in the back of the head as he fell to the ground and everything went to black.

He woke up hours later, a note pinned to the ground with a rock next to where he laid. He picked up the note and read it out loud.

"To my dearest love, I hope you can understand my reasoning behind my actions. I, Cassette Fairaday, will take this wench out of your life. Don't worry it's all for the better. If you wish to watch her demise with me, you can find me at these coordinates." He read, inputting the coordinates into his Pipboy.

"Shit." Six said as he took a look at where the coordinates led. "Of all places, why there?" Six said as he headed towards Quarry Junction. He readied himself for combat with the wasteland's most versatile predators. He loaded incendiary rounds into Maria and used a whetstone to sharpen his katana. He made sure his grenades were primed and ready, especially the incendiary grenades. He checked his belt to make sure his flare gun was loaded and ready to use in case the mother tried to take a swipe at him. He hooked on some incendiary and plasma grenades on his belt for quick and easy access in combat.

It took only an hour and a half to reach the cursed area. Although Cassette was out of her mind, he had to hand it to her, she was also smart, using _this_ place for a hide out. No one would come near the place due to the deathclaws, and they couldn't walk around the deadly beasties due to the walls of rock surrounding the quarry. He sighed and charged into combat as he drew Maria and began to fire into a crowd of adult deathclaws.

Three of them charged at Six, ready to attack. He fired three shots into each of the creature's body, lighting them all on fire. The beasts did not let up, and continued their charge. Six materialized his grenade rifle and fired a high explosive round at them. It crippled two of three deathclaws' legs, the third continued its charge towards Six. He ducted as the giant abomination lunged, swiping at Six who shoved his Katana's blade through the skull of the third deathclaw as it went limp. The remaining two were quickly dispatched with two plasma grenades. Six moved on, activating his last stealth boy to sneak through the remaining deathclaws.

He moved on to a small concave indent into the side of the wall of rock. He noticed a metal hatch in the back of the cave. He opened it, a loud, gut wrenching screech as he opened the rusted cover. All heads turned towards him, tens of deathclaws rushed towards the veteran courier. He scurried under the lid which he quickly shut. He slid down the metal ladder as he activated his Pip Boy light in the pitch-black room he was in. He traced his hands across the wall until he found a light switch and turned on the lights. A large, empty room revealed itself to him, with a single door leading him closer to his door. He slowly pressed his ear to the door to listen for any possible enemies on the other side. He could hear some faint talking, then a much louder scream. The scream of a woman. He knew it was Cinder. That's who Cassette was after. She wanted to kill or torture Cinder so she wouldn't be in the way of getting Six. He had to end this _now_ or things would get out of hand fast.

He opened the door with his Katana at the ready. When his foes came into sight, he activated his tool that he used to get a job done quickly, V.A.T.S. He found there to be five opponents, he targeted two who were standing by the door, carrying a light machinegun each. For the first, he dove the blade through his chest, the man emitting a dying groan as he fell to the ground. His partner aimed his gun at Six, but it was too late, he had already offed his head.

The remaining three took cover behind a counter and began to take shots a Six. He took out Maria and fired the remaining rounds in the magazine at the men, only one getting hit, his body becoming engulfed in flames.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Six shouted in rage at the remaining two men.

"Fuck off!" One of the men shouted back. Six took a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and threw it behind the enemies' cover. They came running out of their cover, making for easy targets for him. He took out Lucky and fired three rounds at the first man, with each shot, the man's pace began to slow. The final man held his hands up in fear for his life.

"Please! I surrender!" The man begged as he threw his weapon to the ground, trying to avoid the inevitable. Six neared him and kicked his weapon to the side, a look of pure anger on his face.

"WHERE. IS. SHE?" Six asked once more, this time getting a response.

"Th-through that d-door." The man stammered as he pointed to the door in fear.

"Good. Stay here until I get back." Six commanded, walking towards the door.

"Thank y-you." The man stammered.

"Don't thank me yet." Six said as he shot the final man in the head, his limp body fell to the floor. Six moved on to the next room to find seven sentry bots. Six took out his Protonic Inversal Axe. He charged in, ducking from a missile as he swung his axe at the robot's body, its body began to short circuit, the bulking metal war machine going limp. The remaining six began to fire at Six. He ducked once more as two of the bots were eliminated via friendly fire. Two more charged Six, slamming him into the wall, pinning him there. He unclipped a pulse grenade and threw it at the remaining two behind the first two. The wave of electric energy breaking their combat modulators, driving the two bots to attack the two who were pinning Six to the wall.

Six slid out of the grip of the sentry bots and fired Annabelle at the frenzied sentry bots. The blast from the missile flung them to the other side of the room. He injected a stimpack to heal the wounds he had sustained during the two fights. As he neared the door, the same scream could be heard from where he was, only this time it was louder and more pained.

'I'm coming Cinder.' Six thought as he rushed through the second to last door to find Cassette on top of Cinder, holding a serrated combat knife to her throat.

"Oh! Sixie! You came!" She said in a sadistically jolly tone. "Did you come to watch this BITCH'S death?" She asked with a horrifying grin.

"No Cassette, I came here to _kill_ you. You've gone too far this time." Six said, glancing over at Cinder. She was dressed only in her underwear and bra, held in place with metal restraints on a queen-sized bed. Her body covered in cuts and bruises. She had two black eyes and was coughing up blood as her stone-cold demeanor began to falter. His face distorted in rage as he swiftly walked up to his ex-lover.

She slowly climbed off of Cinder and grabbed a whip with sharp, metal barbs wrapped around it. "WAS YOUR FAMILY NOT ENOUGH?! MUST I KILL YOUR SLUT OF A GIRLFRIEND TOO?!" Cassette shrieked in rage as she cracked her whip at Six who rolled out of the way of the sadistic weapon.

"So, it _was_ you. I had my doubts, but now I know for sure." Six said, drawing The Blade of the West. He charged Cassette as she used her whip at him with another crack. The whip slashed Six's leg as he grunted in pain.

"Why my family?" Six asked as he prepared to finish her off quickly.

"So that _I_ would be the only one you could love!" She laughed as she rotated on her heels, sending her weapon in the form of a pulse at Six. The whip slammed into Six, sending him flying as blood began to seep out of the wound. He blocked the next blow by using the special bumper sword as cover as he hid behind it.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME MY LOVE!" She shouted as sent a vertical attack in Six's direction, the barbs of the whip laying into Six's chest. He ripped the whip out of him as he injected a stimpack and lined the wounds with healing powder to speed up the effect of the advanced medical technology.

"NEITHER CAN YOU!" Six shouted as he charged towards her with his weapon reaching out in front of him like a lance. She merely stepped to the side as she rotated on her heel once more, sending a flurry of strikes at Six. This forced him back on the defensive, once more using his sword as a shield. He took a plasma grenade from his belt and threw it over his sword. His grenade was sent back his way with a simple crack of Cassette's whip. He took cover, reloading Maria and began to fire at her. However, Cassette saw this coming and deflected his rounds with her whip, the incendiary rounds lighting it on fire.

'Fuck. Now I have to fight against a whip that's on fire.' Six thought as he was forced to duck from an incoming strike. He took cover again, this time formulating a strategy to defeat her. He equipped his Scorched Sierra Madre Power Armor and materialized his Katana. He drank an atomic cocktail so that if he did catch fire, he wouldn't be as damaged by it. He drew the Japanese sword and charged straight at Cassette, ducking and diving out of the way of incoming strikes of her whip. He cut her whip, only the handle remaining within her grasp. She quickly dropped the handle, pulling her dual Hunter Revolvers from her rear holsters. They were painted completely red with black skulls painted on each side of the barrels.

"So, you want to play with the boys, huh? Well… BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!" Cassette yelled, rapidly firing at Six, who just barely dodged the maelstrom of bullets. He sent an upward slash at her. She back peddled, just avoiding the strike, the barrels of her twin revolvers fell to the ground, his strike severing the barrels of her weapons.

In rage, she drew her serrated combat knife and charged at Six, who tripped her, moving swiftly out of the way of her rabid strikes. He knocked the blade out of her hand with the use of the Ranger Takedown. He put her in a headlock, trying to reason with her.

"Please, just stop." Six said as he began to submit to fatigue.

"NEVER!" She shouted as she tried in vain to escape his hold.

"Fine." Six said, leveling Maria at her head. He ejected the magazine and loaded the chamber with a special bullet. The bullet was all silver, and it had an engraving on its side. only he knew what is said due to its extremely small size. It read, Cassette Fairaday.

"Remember what I told you the day we met?" Six asked with a heavy sigh.

"LET ME KILL HER!" She shrieked.

"There's a bullet with your name on it. the trick is, to find it…" Six continued as he cocked back Maria. "Before it finds you." He finished as he pulled the trigger. Her body went limp, slipping through his head-lock. As her now dead body fell to the floor, Six ran up to Cinder, equipping his duster.

"Six…" She called, completely stone cold and devoid of emotion.

"I'm here Cinder, I'm here." He reassured her as he began to release her from her restraints. "My god, what did she do to you?" Six said as some tears began to form under his eyes.

"Six just...Just get me out." Cinder replied completely lifeless. He seen this before with Corporal Betsy The cold hard attitude that tried to hide the pain and suffering she was feeling.

He let her out of chained bed and He handed her some leather armor and a spare vault suit to go under it. She quickly put it on and started walking out of the room quickly. Six reaching out for her out of concern saw her flinch as she back and away and she said quite harshly

"DON'T...Just don't touch me." Cinder said Cold but with a hint of pain and fear.

"Cinder Please you need help after what you just went through just.." But he was cut off as he was speaking

"NO, not now just….just leave me alone for a bit." She said with pain now evident in her voice. Six stopped and just look at her with sadness, he knew that leaving her alone would be a bad thing as a thing like this was not something you let fester but he wasn't trained in this sort of things.

" _sigh._ Alright." Six said reluctantly. He would have to get her help from the followers after he visits Vegas with her she needed the help. But first he thought to give her something that might help her a bit.

"Hold on, I got something for you." Six said as he took off his Rattan Cowboy Hat and she took it and placed it on her head, adjusting it so that it was firmly sat on her head.

"Thanks…" Cinder said in a somber tone, walking out of the cave slightly shaking.

"Cinder?" She looked up at him.

"You know I won't ever let something like this happen again right?" he asked hoping this could help her.

She muttered softly but clearly."I hope so" and continued walking out but now allowing him to be at her side. Walking a little less shaky than before.

"Alright… partner." Six said as he lead her through the last door of the compound that opened to the Mojave Wasteland. "Next stop, home." Six said, popping off a cap from a bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla. He offered it to Cinder, who slowly took it and sipped from the mouth of the bottle. She looked to Six as he materialized his own bottle of the western soda pop. He looked out into the distance to see that New Vegas was only an hour's walk away.

"I can't wait." Cinder said as she followed Six to his house.

Weiss Schnee

As Weiss woke up from her enjoyable nap, she noticed that Arcade was talking to someone she hadn't met before. She got out of her bed and grabbed her plasma defender and walked out of the tent to find a woman in a doctor's coat with spiked hair running down her head.

"Oh, Weiss, you're up!" Arcade said with an upbeat attitude.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"My name is Julie Farkas, nice to meet you, Weiss Schnee." Julie said with a smile as she extended her hand out in a friendly gesture.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Weiss returned as she shook Julie's hand.

"So, as I was say, are you sure _they_ are coming?" Julie asked Arcade as he nodded.

"Yes, they are. I was listening to a restored Enclave radio. Although their east-coast branch was destroyed, there are still remnants and descendants from the west-coast branch that would _love_ to come on over here." Arcade said with urgency.

"Alright, do you think you we can negotiate with them?" Julie asked.

"I wouldn't count on it. From what I heard, they are preparing for a war." Arcade said as he glanced towards Weiss with concern. "And I don't want for innocents to get killed." Arcade said to Julie with worry.

"If that is the case, then you have to call him. He's the only one who can assist us with what is to come." Julie said.

"Alright, I'll go get The Courier." Arcade said with a sigh. He motioned for Weiss to follow him as he made his way over to their tent.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked, a bit worried about what she heard.

"I'll tell you, but you can't tell _anyone_ , understood?" Arcade asked. Weiss nodded her head. "Alright. The group you heard about, the Enclave is going to attack the area where we live." Arcade said.

"What? Why?" Weiss asked with disbelief.

"Nobody knows why, and that's what makes the Enclave an intimidating force." Arcade answered.

"What will can we do about this." Weiss asked with concern

"We see if a old friend of mine can help with this problem. See if he can negotiate with these people first." Arcade said with some hope.

This made wiess confused "Why would you want to negotiate people like that they want to kill us."

"Not everyone in a group is evil by nature, There are plenty of good people in the enclave who are just misguided or who don't know what else to do. I'm not saying we do nothing and push comes to shove I will defend my home, but I don't want to kill people I don't have to." Arcade said firmly.

After hearing this Weiss thought of Blake and her stance on the white fang and saw how similar these two were which made her suspicious of how he seems to know a lot about this Enclave.

"How do you know about the Enclave." This question takes Arcade off guard for a second be he responds quickly as to try and not draw suspicions.

"Them? They were a huge force years ago and as a man as educated and handsome as myself it would be unbenounced of me not to understand the history of the wasteland." Arcade said confidently.

Weiss took this answer for now but he was obviously hiding something and she would get to the bottom of it. But she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt he did save her so she would try and trust him in his words.

"So, should we get started on trying to look for your friend?" Weiss asked making Arcade look at her.

"We? Are you sure you're ready to go back out there? Especially after the umm Incident?" Arcade asked.

Weiss thought of this and knew how scary that experience was and she had her doubts, but she was a huntress and a huntress must overcome their fears to help people.

"Yes I'm sure and this time with you to help me and me understanding this place a bit more i'm ready." she said with confidence.

Arcade sighed. "Well if you're certain come let's go and prepare, we will need some supplies for this." then he and Weiss began to leave the for and Arcade thought to six

" _IT's been a while Six lets see how you are doing_." with that he and Weiss set off.

Blake Belladonna

It was midday and she was currently helping Raul organize his ammunition. As they sorted through the bullets Raul got Blake's attention by snapping his fingers.

"Hey, Blake, did I ever tell you about the time I met a strange man?" Raul asked as he separated the nine millimeter ammo from the ten mill.

"I don't think so." She responded.

"Oh, I think you're going to _love_ this one." Raul said with a chuckle.

"So, I was walking along the Mojave, when a man with a duster that only reached down to his knees, a pair of sunglasses, and a rattan cowboy approached me. Now, at first, he seemed like a sane man. However, when I started to talk to him, he seemed to be a bit… detached from reality. He asked if he could follow me around and I said sure. Not five minutes later, some legionary assassins approached him and attacked us both." Raul said, taking a sip from his whiskey.

"As we fought them off, he started shouting about goo-goo bars! After we had killed the assassins, he walked up to every one of them and started blasting their fucking heads open! I tried telling him that they were dead, but as I got closer to him I noticed that he was singing! Singing! But that's not it, oh no! After he was done blasting the legionaries head's off, a giant radroach, another ghoul, a protectron that couldn't walk straight, and a deathclaw that could turn invisible approached him. The robot seemed to take a liking to his backside got quite the scolding from the man. He kept on asking the other ghoul if he wanted a chainsaw." Raul continued as he took another sip from his whiskey.

"After that, I had just had about enough of his shenanigans, but not before gave me one of his 'goo-goo bars' and threatened to burn my house down. Granted this was the first time I have ever met him before so I'm sure he didn't mean it." Raul finished as he put the organized ammunition into their respective containers.

"That's… odd." Blake said. In all honesty, she didn't know what to make of Raul's story. "Did you ever hear from him again?" Blake asked.

"Yea, on a visit to Freeside, I saw him standing on the corner talking about the atomic wrangler and chicken nuggets, whatever the hell those are." Raul answered, finishing up his whiskey.

"Do you think I'll ever meet him?" Blake asked, a mix of curiosity and fear in her mind.

"There's always a chance." Raul said as he climbed into bed and covered himself with his blankets.

Five Hours Earlier

Cinder Fall

As Cinder awoke, she looked around to find herself bound by metal restraints with nearly all of her clothes off. The only articles of clothing that remained were bra and underwear.

'Where am I?' Cinder thought.

'I don't know, but whoever did this to you isn't very fond of you.' Pyrrha said.

'Clearly.' Cinder retorted.

She could hear the voice of a woman getting closer and closer to her. "So, I heard you've been taking a liking to MY Sixie." The voice said as it continued to get closer to her. She felt a cold, open hand touch her stomach.

"Who are you?" Cinder asked before she was struck powerfully in the same spot as she tensed from the pain.

"I SPEAK! NOT YOU!" The voice screamed in anger. She slugged Cinder in the face, giving her a black eye. Cinder fell silent, not wishing to incur the wrath of her captor. "Good, you're a quick learner, that means I won't have to hurt you as much as I can. But I am going to make you my slave. Once you're my slave, I'm going to kill you, ok?" The now visible woman said as she held Cinder's head up by her hair.

The woman had light green eyes and light brown hair with a pony tail and twin tails. Cinder could smell the alcohol on her breath. The woman held her head down with one hand and began to lick her face. After a few licks, she stopped and an eerie smile grew on her face. Cinder heard a blade of some sort being taken out of its sheath. As she began to ponder as to what it could be she felt a sharp blade cut her skin. She hissed in pain but refused to scream.

"What's wrong honey? Can't feel pain? Can't feel emotion? That just won't do for my Sixie!" The woman shouted before socking Cinder in the other eye. The woman began to pound on Cinder with fury, every punch was worst than the last. Then, the punches stopped suddenly as she felt the woman lay herself on top of her. The woman's body completely covered hers, she could feel the heat of the other woman on her skin.

"You know, if you _weren't_ with my Sixie I wouldn't have to do this, but alas, I must. We would have made such a great team too." The woman said as she caressed Cinder's face.

"What's your name?" Cinder asked, regretting it almost immediately, getting a shallow slash on her side.

"YOU DO NOT SPEAK!" The woman howled in rage, grabbing a whip a cracking it on Cinder's stomach, giving her more cuts and bruises. Cinder fell silent, not wanting to spark the rage of her captor once more.

The sounds of distant explosions could be heard. The woman became very excited at this. "Oh! Sixie comes for me! I can't wait, but first, YOU WILL SCREAM!" she yelled as she plunged the knife into Cinder's hand.

The pain was unbearable, she couldn't hold back, she had to scream. She let out a blood curdling scream much to the satisfaction of the woman. Then, as she heard gunshots in the distance, everything went black.

In her dream she had nightmares of her torture. Cinder was not a kind woman, she was not a good woman, but even she did not go this far on anyone. Not her enemies not her underlings when they failed her, and not even Roman that deplorable annoying man. She was harsh yes but not cruel. But that was not what broke her, no. She had seen things like this before while she worked with Tyrian that psychotic fanaus. No, what really broke her was how _she_ was experiencing it. She was always in control, always the one in charge. She was the one that got the last say, but now? Now she had no control, and it _terrified_ her. As she began to wake up she feared seeing that damned woman again but as she woke she saw Six.

Adam Taurus

As Adam awoke he took note of his surroundings. He was in a tent of some sorts with only a desk and two chairs in it along with his bed. He felt his neck, still feeling the metal collar around his neck. He began to try to remove it, only to be warned against it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He heard the man known as Vulpes say as he walked into the room.

"And, why shouldn't I?" Adam spat with venom as he rose from his bed, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder as he gripped the now treated wound.

"Because it would be shame to lose someone as skilled as yourself to a mere explosive collar. And by the way, the wound may be treated, but it is still sensitive." Vulpes said, taking a seat in one of the seats calmly.

"Explosive collar?" Adam asked as he rose from his bed.

"You're no fool, Adam. You heard me." Vulpes said, pulling out the second seat for Adam.

"So, why are you here?" Adam hissed refusing to take a seat next to this human.

"Good, right to the point. A few of our forward patrols have not returned. It has been five days since they were ordered to scout ahead. They were supposed to have come back one day later." Vulpes explained.

"And what am _I_ going to do about it?" Adam asked.

"You are going to see what happened to them and gather any intel you can." Vulpes said as he rose from his seat. He handed Adam a set of praetorian guard armor. "Put this on, it should give you more protection than your previous armor." Vulpes said as Adam put on the armor.

"And why should I do anything you say?" Adam said with hate.

"Why tell you when I can show you?" Vulpes said as a slave wearing the same type of collar walked into the tent. Vulpes picked up a remote with two buttons on it. One had the number one painted on it and the second had the number two painted on it. Adam watched as Vulpes pressed the first button and the collar on the slave exploded, blasting the man's neck to million pieces, blood pouring out of the stump that was his neck.

"Any questions?" Vulpes asked with a confident smile.

"No." Adam said angrily as he put on the armor, following Vulpes out of the tent.

"You will be following me towards the area where our scouts were last seen. We will be traveling together for this mission." Vulpes said. Grabbing a pack of water and food as they set out to find the missing patrols.

And that's that!

I hope you enjoyed and if you did, leave a review!

I put another reference in there if you can spot it, which I'm sure you can!


	8. Blue Moon

As always, thanks to commanderpill for the assistance and advice on the story. Honestly, I can't thank him enough. I may love the lore of the Fallout series, but he has helped to point out small details in it that I have either overlooked or didn't know about.

Courier Six

Six and Cinder were walking towards the gates of Freeside once more. Six opened the door as Cinder walked past him. He closed the gate and caught up to her to lead her to New Vegas. He noticed that Cinder had been acting more standoffish than usual. His concern began to grow when his attempts to strike up conversation were ignored by his partner. As they walked through Freeside, a group of two men jumped Cinder, who quickly dispatched the two without a second thought. She merely stepped over them, not even glancing in their direction.

"Cinder, wait for me!" Six shouted as he ran up to his beloved partner. "You need to slow down! It's not safe for you to go waltzing ahead of me." Six explained as he caught up to her.

"Maybe you should walk fast." Cinder advised as Six led her towards New Vegas proper.

"I _am_." Six said with irritation, not letting his anger show.

"Then walk faster." Cinder shot back.

'Why don't you just tell him?' Pyrrha asked.

'Because it would show him my weakness.' Cinder retorted. 'If he sees me like that, I'm sure he'd abandon me. If that happens, it will only be a matter of time until we both die.' Cinder reasoned.

'I'm sure he's not that type of man, he saved you from the girl, right? So why would he abandon you now?' Pyrrha reasoned.

'I don't know. I just don't want to risk it, ok?' Cinder Snapped at Pyrrha.

'I understand, but keep close to him, at least for safety.' Pyrrha advised much to the relief of Cinder.

"Cinder, we're here." Six said as she looked up at the tower he was motioning towards. "Let's go, there some friends of mine I want to introduce you to." Six said as he opened the door for Cinder. She walked in to find a casino in the large room. However, Six led her to an elevator which was guarded by a robot which had one giant wheel, two arms with claw like fingers, and a screen which displayed a smiling face on it. Although it had a bit of a cartoon look, the face was still unsettling, just how it kept on smiling.

She moved past it as Six pressed the call button for the elevator. As they waited, Cinder inched closer to Six, due to fear of the robot. The elevator finally came and the two of them walked inside of it.

"First, I'm going to take you to your room where you'll be staying for the remainder of your time as my partner." Six explained as they arrived at the presidential suite.

"And how long would that be?" Cinder questioned.

"As long as you wish." Six said as he whistled to something out of Cinder's view. She watched as a dog that had robotic limbs and an exposed brain. It ran up to Cinder then began to rub itself on her legs in a playful manner.

"This is Rex, he's a good companion and I read that dogs were used for comfort for people who underwent traumatic events." Six said as a robotic sphere flew out of the same room as Rex. "And this is ED-E, an eye-bot that I found one day. He's a good companion, and will watch your back." Six said as he walked towards the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Cinder asked, a bit worried about the Courier leaving her side.

"Somewhere that I need to go. I'll be back in about a day or two. So, long as you don't leave the floor you'll be fine." Six advised, waving his hand goodbye.

"Don't come down to me in a body bag, ok?" Cinder said in an attempt to hide her concern.

"Oh, I'll be fine." Six said as the elevator doors closed. He pushed the button for the penthouse. Six had to check on Yes Man and see if Lone had messaged him while he was out. The elevator doors opened to the penthouse level of the Lucky 38. He slowly walked to the large screen which currently displayed a large, smiling face.

"Yes Man, have I received any messages from The Lone Wanderer?" Six asked as he took a seat in the chair.

"Yes, you have! Just one though." The upbeat voice said as it displayed the text message on the screen. Six red it out loud, the short message warning Six of an oncoming threat.

"The remains of the Enclave's eastern branch are planning an assault on New Vegas so that they can rebuild closer to the west coast." Six red as he groaned.

"Yes Man, prepare for an all out war. Ready the securitrons for combat and increase the patrol frequency and numbers." Six commanded.

Veronica Santangelo

Veronica had been training Yang on how to use the Power Fist correctly. Currently they were training in an abandoned scrap yard where Veronica had set up some targets for Yang to train on.

"Hey Veronica, once I'm done training would you mind sparing with me?" Yang asked, wiping some sweat from her brow.

"Sure Yang! I'll go grab a training fist, then we can get started!" Veronica said with excitement as she ran to the outside of the scrap yard to get the gear. She grabbed the training fists and ran back to the scrap yard.

"That was quick." Yang said with a laugh.

"Yea, I've wanted to see what you can do ever since we met." Veronica said, replacing her power-fist with the training-fist. "Get ready." Veronica said, raising her guard.

"Oh, I _am_ ready." Yang said, pacing around Veronica. She feigned left and lunged right, extending her prosthetic arm, the power-fist activating. Veronica ducted parried her arm, and countered by sending a sucker punch to Yang's face, forcing her to stagger back to recover from the strike.

"I thought the rules were no head shots!" Yang shouted in frustration.

"Sorry Yang, but when fighting in the Mojave, there are no rules." Veronica said with a confident smirk on her face.

"Noted." Yang said as she prepared for a follow up attack. She lunged forward, sliding on her knees and hitting Veronica's stomach, forcing her to up her guard. She blocked to next few blows as she struggled to get in a counter-attack on her opponent. She slid to the left, Yang putting up her guard in preparation for Veronica's attack.

However, what Yang did not expect was Veronica tripping her. She dashed forward, swiping her leg in front of Yang's forcing her off balance. As she fell back, she grabbed some sand and threw it in Veronica's face. She quickly rose from her fall and charged the stunned Veronica, ready to take her down.

Veronica, however, had something else in mind. She took a deep breath and used her senses to determine where Yang was. She could hear her footsteps racing towards her, and took a wide side step and slammed her elbow into Yang's stomach. Veronica finally managed to get the sand out of her eyes, readying to finish the sparring match. She rushed towards Yang, wrapped her arm around her abdomen, and pulled her to the ground.

"And match!" Veronica shouted as she held Yang down for three seconds. She released Yang from the hold to help her off of the ground. "There's a certain move I want to teach you. Its called the scribe counter and it will come in handy when you get into a scuffle." Veronica said as she lead Yang back to the trading outpost.

"Hey Veronica, I've been thinking… Do you think I could meet that guy you mentioned?" Yang asked as they were practicing the scribe takedown.

"Sure. He's a nice guy and loves to meet people. There's one thing you should keep in mind before you meet him though." Veronica said as they finished their daily training.

"What's that?" Yang asked as she wiped away some sweat with a towel.

"Don't ask him about his past. It's a really touchy subject to say the least." Veronica said as they both got into their beds.

"Ok. Can we head out tomorrow?" Yang asked.

"Sure, but you need your sleep, so go to bed." Veronica said as she covered herself with a blanket.

As Yang drifted off to sleep her mind began to wander as to what the man was like. Was he a cool desperado, or a charismatic smooth talker? She remembered when Veronica would talk about him, she specifically remembered when Veronica told her about how she and the guy took down an entire mountain of things called super mutants & nightkin.

She put it to back of her mind as she tried to get some sleep. 'I can't wait to meet this guy, he seems like a real warrior. Maybe he could teach me some unarmed moves.' Yang thought.

She tried to drift into a deep sleep, but failed. Her thoughts were on the one who took her arm, Adam Taurus. She was there, in the place where she was defeated. She was standing there as Adam slowly approached her with his weapon drawn. He had a confident smirk on his face.

"What's wrong blondie? Scarred?" Adam said, getting closer and closer to her. She raised her fists, firing off a flurry of shots in his direction. However, none hit their mark, and the bull fanus continued his advance with the same smirk, however the smirk changed from that of confidence to one that held malicious intent. He rushed her, his sword held out in front of him. Yang held up her arms in defense, but he didn't hit where she thought he would. Instead of offing her arm, he impaled her through the stomach.

She shot up from her bed, her face covered in sweat, her lips quivering with fear. She looked over to Veronica who was waking from her sleep.

"Yang? Are you alright?" Veronica said in a groggy tone.

"Y-yea, just a bit shook up." Yang explained, trying to get back to bed.

"Nightmares?" Veronica asked, walking over to Yang, then laying down next to her on the bed. Yang nodded her head as she felt Veronica wrap her arms around her body and tried to comfort her apprentice.

"Yea…" Yang said, a few tears of fear forming in her eyes. She felt Veronica wiping her tears away. "Thanks Veronica." Yang managed to say under her tears.

"Don't mention it Yang." Veronica said as she comforted Yang back to sleep. This time, Yang managed to fall asleep. She could almost feel a pair of lips kissing her lightly on her forehead.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia awoke to the sound of gunshots and screams. She shot up from her bed and grabbed her weapons. She walked out of the barn to see some humans fighting giant ants. Neither party seemed to notice her as they fought on. The ants started to breath fire at the humans who tried and failed to pat down the flames as their bodies caught fire. Their battle finished as the last of the humans fell to the ground. Ilia watched as the ants began to patrol around their nest. She watched them meticulously as they entered their nest, climbing back into its small hole.

Once she saw the area was abandoned, Ilia moved over to the burning corpses to loot them. She managed to scavenge a few bullets and some run-down weapons that she could sell once she reached a settlement.

Ilia walked back to the barn before Fizz and Lily woke up. She greeted her companion and pet as the sun rose from the sky. "Oh Dearie! How did you sleep?" Lily asked as she stretched that morning.

"I slept well, thank you for asking." Ilia said, not wanting to worry Lily. They set out to The Old Mormon Fort, the area where Doctor Henry had noted that his friend , Arcade Gannon, was. However, they would need to go through some hostile territory to get there. She decided to lead the group north of her current position.

As they walked, the sound of gunshots surrounded them as they realized that they were in the middle of a battle. They took cover behind a large dune of sand.

"Who do you think is fighting Dearie?" Lily asked.

"From the notes, it's either remnants of the NCR against some fiends or some locals fighting fiends." Ilia said, closing the notebook. A few hours passed as the battle raged on, the sounds of gunfire still within earshot. "We need to move, we're wasting time. On three we move to cover behind that ruined building." Ilia said, readying herself for an assault. "One… Two… THREE!" She shouted, sprinting towards the ruined building, firing off her whip and plasma pistol. She looked over to Lily who was rushing the enemy lines with bumper sword in hand.

"Lily, NO!" Ilia shouted, running after her, but it was too late. Ilia watched Lilly went charging in she was assaulted by hails of bullets and they hit everywhere, but being a nightkin she was able to take this and keep going. She reached the line of NCR soldiers and began slashing wildly cutting soldiers by the dozens however she began to slow as the bullets were taking an effect on her and soon a NCR soldier managed to stab Lily right in the thigh causing her to fall to the sand. She grabbed the NCR soldier and crushed his head but that's when she noticed the grenade the NCR trooper had on his body. The explosion that followed killed Lily as she fell to the ground shrapnel in her face.

Ilia was filled with rage and sorrow, the former overcoming the latter. She charged forward, filling the troopers with rounds of plasma and metal filled their bodies as she attacked them in pure rage. Five of the troopers charged with their bayoneted service rifles pointed at her. She slashed at the abdomen of the five men, forming large gashes on two of them, a fountain of blood erupted from their wounds. They dropped their rifles in a vain attempt to free their hands to try and stop the bleeding. The remaining three flanked her with two going to her right and one going to her left, all three lunged at once, Ilia back stepping to avoid the bladed thrusts. She snapped her whip into its solid form, impaling the soldier to her left through the head. She quickly pulled it through his head to quickly parry another stab at her. She stabbed the trooper through the neck, swiftly pulling her weapon out of its fleshy sheath. The final man charged her, rapidly jabbing at her body.

"You're going to die with your freak of a friend, bitch!" The trooper spat at Ilia as she received a solid stab to her side. he pulled out the blade, readying for another strike as Ilia lunged forward. Her attacked was parried by the trooper, who went for another lunge, aiming this time for her head. She ducked, swiping him off his feet. She plunged her weapon deep into his chest.

Blood began to trickle out of his mouth as he spat at Ilia, blood and saliva flying out of his mouth.

"You will never kill the two-headed bear." The trooper said as his head fell to the ground. Ilia rushed over to Lily, tears welling up in her eyes as the one she had cared for was now lying dead on the ground.

"Lily, oh god… Why? WHY?! W-why must all who I care for leave me or die for me!" Ilia shouted to the sky, a stream of tears flowing through her eyes and falling from her cheeks. She held Lily's head, cradled in her arms. She felt a rustling in her backpack, with Fizz popping out of it and climbing over to her and rubbing his head against Ilia's cheek, trying to comfort her. He gave off a solemn mew.

"I still have you Fizz, I still have you." Ilia said, rubbing his head. She grabbed a nearby shovel and began to dig a grave for Lily. By the time she had finished, it was nearly nightfall and she was completely exhausted. She slowly dragged Lily's body into the grave. She covered the grave, finding a thick, wooden plank and sticking it at the head of Lily's grave. She chiseled out the words 'Here Lies Lily, my greatest friend. May she forever rest in peace.' Ilia downed a bottle of Sunset sarsaparilla and moved on to Old Mormon Fort, to find Arcade.

Winter Schnee

Winter and Boone were currently trekking through a place he referred to as 'Fiend Territory'. He had explained to her that the quickest way to find Weiss was to head to the population centers of the Mojave, the largest of which was New Vegas. From what Boone would tell her, it was the remains of an old world city that was saved due to the efforts of a man by the name of Robert House. The area around New Vegas proper, however was not able to be saved, and was called Freeside.

"Boone?" Winter asked as they hid from a patrol of fiends.

"Yes, Winter?" Boone whispered back to Winter so as not to alert the fiends.

"Do you ever wish for a peaceful life?" She asked, readying herself for combat. While traveling with Boone, Winter had learned a few things about this world.

The first thing she learned was that the single, unbreakable law of the Mojave, outside of settlements, it's kill or be killed. A philosophy she knew but not to the extent to how it was here.

"No, I don't." Boone said, much to the surprise of Winter.

"Why not?" Winter asked in surprise.

"Because this world, this hellish and abhorrent world, is the one I'm used to. I honestly wouldn't know what to do. Besides…... It wouldn't work out for me." Boone said as he loaded a magazine of armor piercing rounds into his hunting rifle.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Winter said as she readied her cutlasses.

"Don't be." Boone said as he took aim at the leader of the fiend patrol. "Get ready. I'm going to take out the leading guy, you take out the two following him." Boone said, looking through the scope. She took position behind a degraded wall and waited for Boone's signal.

In an instant, the sound of a gunshot pierced through the air, the bullet burst through the leader's neck, blood spraying from the wound. The two other fiends looked in Boone's direction, giving Winter the much needed opportunity to strike.

She impaled one through the heart and head, swiftly pulling them out of the foe. She parried an oncoming strike from the last fiend.

"Do you like the sight of your own blood?!" The fiend screamed, elbowing Winter in the face. As she staggered back, she expected to feel another hit, but instead, felt something spray onto her. She looked over at the fiend to see a large bullet wound in his chest. Winter sheathed her weapons and approached Boone.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he looted the bodies of the fiends.

"Yea, I'm fine, just a bit shook up." Winter said walking up to Boone.

"Yea, I'm sure you never really get used to wasteland combat." Boone chuckled he lead her closer to New Vegas.

"Do you think I will get to meet the man you speak about with such high regard?" Winter asked, following Boone through Freeside.

"There's always a chance." Boone said as they passed by The Old Mormon Fort.

"What is he like?" She asked, wondering about the mysterious man.

"It's hard to explain, but if I had to describe him with a single phrase, I'd have to go with, fiercely independent." Boone said, as they stopped at the gate to New Vegas.

Adam Taurus

It was night and Adam was in a small camp with Vulpes. He currently was cleaning Wilt and Blush before Vulpes decided to speak.

"So Adam It's clear you are a foreigner from this land why don't you tell me a story about where you are from?" Vulpes asked calmly hoping to gain info or at least entertainment out of this man.

"Story? Why would you want to hear that? They're not even real." Adam asked confused.

Vulpes chuckled at this "Why? Merely to pass the time we have and it would make this dreadful silence go away." Vulpes stated.

Adam didn't believe his answer however. He knew the power of telling a story and how it could make you understand a land better and the person telling it. "Why should I?" Adam asked clearly not interested in telling a story.

Vulpes sighed. He could just make him do it since he is wearing the explosive collar but he wanted cooperation from him in the future and hopefully make him join the legion, so instead he struck a deal with the man. "Alright how about this, I'll share two stories with you about the legion and all you need to do is share one." Vulpes reasoned.

Adam looked at Vulpes suspiciously. "That's generous of you." Adam however just let it go as he knew that he would have to listen to the man and at least this way he can gain some info on this legion. "Alright but you go first."

"Wonderful" Vulpes said with a smile. "Now, what story to share hmmm?" Vulpes asked himself as he looked around to get some motivation, his eyes wandered to the campfire and he knew just what stories to tell. "Alright I got it have you heard the story of our New Legate?" Vulpes asked. Adam scowled as he heard that man's title and merely shook his head. "Good this should be interesting for you."

"Well, to understand Lanius we have to go back to his tribe." Vulpes began. "Lanius was part of a tribe named the Hidebarks. He was their greatest warrior and champion he was so powerful in fact that he was able to destroy entire legion patrols himself. However, just like all tribes who stand against the legion, the Hidebarks soon fell and their leaders surrendered. Lanius saw this as a personal insult and killed his leaders, the legion emissary, and 15 other men of his tribe before being put down." As Adam heard this last part a small part of him could see were Lanius was coming from. To surrender to the enemy was cowardice and was deserving of death, all those traitors of the white fang needed to be punished for their actions…. even his love.

"After his near-death experience, he woke up on a bed next to our great leader Caesar. There he gave Lanius a choice, serve him and live for glory or die and be ripped apart by dogs. Lanius agreed, but only if he could kill every man in his tribe, Caesar asked to make it all the adult males and he had a deal." Hearing this made Adam stop for a moment.

"He sided with the people that killed his tribe and even helped kill it off?" Adam asked, Vulpes chuckled at this.

"To Lanius, Surrender was a disgrace, He had no feeling for the tribe after that and never cared for no one in it. Now he serves the legion out Great Caesar created, even if he has died he will hold it together the best he can." Vulpes explained. Adam thought about this story and to his realization Adam was a lot like him, both unsatisfied with how they grew up wanting to do more. Being great fighters but serving under weak leadership until presented with a new one. They even both represented everything their new leadership represented. Lanius may still be a bastard human, but he could respect his views, He would still die but maybe not as slow as he originally planned.

As he was thinking however Adam remembered a key word that Vulpes said when he asked if he heard of this story. Lanius was the NEW legate so that begs the question, who was the old? "You said new legate what happened to the old one?" Adam asked.

"You want to hear about the Malpais legate?" Adam nodded. "Well the Malpais legate now also known as the burned man was a shaman from a tribe known as New Canaan. He was a very religious man and he was even there when the creation of the legion was first started being Caesars translator. Soon he was at Caesars side being his first Legate, the Malpais Legate. He wasn't feared by being the most brilliant of tacticians nor for being the greatest fighter ever No he was feared because he was the most brutal man you have ever met even sometimes more brutal than Lanius and his name is The Butcher. He was also the most resilient man you will ever meet surviving even the deadliest of attacks." Hearing about this Legate he was reminded of his lieutenant how both were brutal and resilient. Strange how similar this legion is to the white fang. "However, the Malpais legate soon led the legion to its worst defeat in its lifetime as during the second battle of hoover dam. He led our best troops into a trap by the NCR killing most of his army forcing the legion to retreat." Vulpes explained with surprising indifference.

"Caesar showing that failure even at the highest level would not be tolerated, had The Legate covered in pitch, lit on fire, and thrown into the Grand Canyon. However, being a resilient man many believe that he survived the encounter and lives on as the burned man forever seeking vengeance on the legion, while I don't believe in this tribal ghost story it was enough to bother Caesar preventing anyone from ever saying his real name again. So, after hearing this I have to know." Vulpes leans forward to Adam. "Do you think he lives?"

Adam sneered at Vulpes and shook his head. "Doubtful NO one could survive that just a ghost story like you said." He doubted someone could survive that, especially since this place seems to not have aura.

Vulpes smiled at this response. "Good, glad to see you don't buy into that nonsense." He leaned back into his original position. "Now I held my end of the bargain how about yours?" Adam sighed.

"Alright I'll start with the organization I work for, The White Fang. It was after the great war that my organization was created, the humans for our service in their war sent us all to an island. Some saw this as fair while most of us saw it for what it really was, a slap in the face by a bunch of sore losers. So, my organization was created to have equality for the faunus. However, the old leader of the white fang was a weak coward seeking nonviolent solutions to our problems and not of them EVER WORKED!" Adam snarled at this last part.

"And how could they? We still used the Schnee's dust in everything we do protesting would never solved anything. So, when the old leader stepped down a new leader rose up, Sienna Khan. They allowed us to use violent solutions, and you know what? It worked and not only that, we got the revenge our kind deserved." Adam stopped for a moment. "Of course, not all agreed with our actions and tried to leave the Fang. So we hunted them down like the cowards they are, and I will personally kill every one of them for their betrayal." Adam looked at Vulpes. " _All_ of them."

While not everything Vulpes wanted to hear, it was good enough info that Adam gave to him, Now more than ever did Vulpes think he could turn this great asset to the legion. "Well that was a great story but I think it's time we sleep I'll take first watch." After that Adam went to rest.

The next day they arrived at the patrol. The members of the patrol were covered in throwing axes and bullet holes.

"Who do you think is responsible?" Adam asked, approaching the corpses.

"Most likely some tribes that we were warring with found our patrol and decided to attack them." Vulpes said, scanning the horizon for any possible threats. He saw two figures at the top of cliff, staring in their direction, then scurrying off in the distance.

"We've been spotted. We should take cover." Vulpes advise as he and Adam took cover from the inevitable hailstorm of bullets. However, it never came. The sounds of feet and metal clanking against metal could be heard as the two of them were surrounded by men and women. Looking around he saw they wore Ammo belts around their chests, Cargo pants with Molotov's and throwing axes, Thigh pads that protected each thigh from bullets along with shoulder pads as well as a bullet proof vest with ammo pockets. They had some more leather pads on their forearms and some simple lines of war pain on their faces and they possessed some simple boots as well for their feet.

What really stood out to Vulpes was their symbol on their vests, It was a picture of a horse with what appeared to be tear drops above it with a cross behind it all surrounded by fire. Vulpes could clearly see these tribes were very well organized. There were at least thirty of them, each holding some cowboy repeaters, sniper rifles, and .44 machine guns.

"You, owslander! Why you come in these lands?" the leader of the tribal group, shoving a large caliber rifle in Adam's face.

"We are with the legion and have come here to discover our patrol butchered." Vulpes answered to the leader.

"So, you are legion? Our war chief told us so." The leader said as ten men approached them, confiscating their weapons and tying them up by the hands.

"What is your tribe's name?" Vulpes asked.

"We are the Amutas, Part of the Zion confederacy." The leader said, motioning for the men to lead the two to their home camp. "Our weapons are a part of us, they are an extra limb at which we destroy our enemies." The leader explained.

"That's quite the interesting philosophy." Vulpes said, making a mental note that these Amutas would make a great addition to the legion. Maybe as advanced scouts or sharp shooters. Either way, he would need to convince this war chief that was mentioned previously and to figure out who else is in this confederacy as those were the most difficult group of tribes the legion faced not impossible but difficult. As they arrived to their base camp, Vulpes took note of the geographical features surrounding him. Large cliffs, deep valleys, and sharp turns. They stopped at the entrance to a cave that was adorned with tribal paintings.

"Take them into the cave. We will stay here to stand guard." The leader said as half of the men took them into the cave while the half, which were holding their weapons, stayed outside the cave. As they got further and further into the cave, they saw more and more tribals inhabiting the cave. Then, Vulpes saw one of the few things that could honestly surprise him.

A man, covered entirely in white bandages wearing a bulletproof vest and faded jeans. It was the burned man himself, inspecting colt 45 pistols, moving them from one pile of pistols to the other. Not once did his eyes ever meet his, but rather they met Adam's. His raspy, commanding voice called out to Adam.

"Young man, tell me your name." The burned man asked, continuing his maintenance.

"Why should I ever answer to you?" Adam spat, refusing to answer him.

"Do you know who I am?" The burned man asked, putting down the pistol in his hand, and rising from his seat and walking down to the bound fanus. "You are wearing Legion armor, are you not? Surely you have heard of the legends of the burned man?" The burned man asked Adam.

"Never believed in superstitions." Adam shot back.

"It was never superstition. I, am the burned man, the Malpais legate, I am, Joshua Graham." Joshua said, looking Adam directly in the eyes.

"What are _you_ doing here Joshua. I would have though our frumentarii and assassins would have killed you. The white legs managed to land quite the blow to the dead horses and sorrows before they were eliminated by the Courier." Vulpes said, Now very interested to see how the old legate himself was doing. Joshua looked at Vulpes with Cold blue eyes with fury inside them but not as much as Vulpes would expect from the old legate.

"That is true, our forces sustained major losses, however we managed to ally ourselves with the Amutas which taught the two tribes of Zion how to better use and sustain rifles and carbines." Joshua explained. "They have even concocted a natural and more plentiful way to create ammunition." Joshua continued. "It has been a while, hasn't it, Vulpes?" He asked.

"Indeed, it has. Have you heard the news from the second battle of hoover dam?" Vulpes asked, trying to see how much The Malpais legate knew of the legion's defeat.

"Oh, I know that Lanius lives, as does the remains of the legion." Joshua said, turning to face Adam once more. "But what I want to know, who is this? I've never seen a genetic mutation that caused one to grow horns from their head. How did you find him? Where is he from?" Joshua asked Vulpes while facing Adam, expecting him to answer. "I've also heard some frightening news for the Legion." The Burned Man said, facing Vulpes.

"What might that be? My frumentarii are the very best, how could a threat go undetected?" Vulpes countered.

"Your frumentarii may be the best, but they cannot watch every grain of sand in the Mojave. There is talk of a man who is as known as the Courier. The man who pushed the NCR and the Legion back from Hoover dam, the man you repeatedly tried to kill but clearly failed to." Joshua explained.

Vulpes frowned at hearing that man's title. "The legion knows of the Courier, it would be foolish if we didn't." looking at Joshua with his own fury he says only a few words. "And he WILL pay for the death of Caesar."

And that's that!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	9. Of Love and Might

As always thanks to commanderpill for the help with the chapter. Also this chapter is a bit longer then usual, so enjoy!

Cinder Fall

Cinder was currently in her room of the presidential suite. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, cleaning her weapons and doing regular maintenance. Rex was resting at her feet, curled up into a comfortable circle. ED-E was floating around her, getting different perspectives of what she was doing. As she finished cleaning That Gun, she set it in its holster which was laid out on the desk that was in her room. She walked over to the dresser, opening it and finding a plethora of choices of apparel. She picked out her favorites, an armored duster which had an odd symbol painted on its back, some combat armor, authority glasses, some type of breathing mask, a pair of leather boots, a pair of metal boots, and multiple sets of gloves. She placed them all out on the bed and decided to pick those that would be most practical with her fighting style.

She decided to go with the oddly decorated duster for her abdominal clothing, while the riot armor would provide ample protection, it was too heavy and would slow her down. The duster she picked however, was far lighter, and would be a natural pick for her. She made a mental note to ask Six if he could modify it to offer more protection.

Next, she picked up the authority glasses, inspected them, and decided to add them to her roster. Following her second choice, she decided to put on the breathing mask, to add an intimidation factor to her outfit.

Next were the boots. Originally, she was going to go with the metal boots, however something that Mercury told her once popped into her mind. "The only use that a metal boot would have is slowing the wearer down." She decided on the leather boots instead.

Finally, her choice of gloves. She picked out three sets of gloves, the first being similar to those she wore at the prom in Beacon Academy, the second were black fingerless gloves, and the last were black gloves with light metal lining going from the palm and back of the hand, tracing down both the top and bottom the finger and meeting at the nail. She chose the latter, deciding that protecting her hands would be important in using both her weapon from Remnant and the one gifted to her by Six.

There was one final thing that she needed to decide on, that thing was her hair. She had thought about cutting it so that it wouldn't be something that could be grabbed, however she managed to keep it out of the reach of those who would do her harm by keeping it going down the front of her shoulder.

She chose to keep it the way it was. She put on her new outfit. She placed the rattan cowboy hat firmly on her head followed by the authority glasses and breathing mask. After that she put on the duster, slipping her arms through the holes were sleeves most likely were, Lastly the leather boots. She looked at herself in the life-sized mirror, she looked to be quite the woman in this attire.

'What's next?' Pyrrha asked as Cinder lay on the bed.

'I honestly don't know.' Cinder thought. She had never been this ignorant of the future before.

'How have you been since… _her_.' Pyrrha asked, wanting to make sure Cinder was coping well.

'I… I feel as if I've lost control. I can't control the outside factors, only myself.' Cinder thought, responding to Pyrrha's question.

'How does that make you feel?' Pyrrha asked.

'Scarred.' Cinder thought, a shiver going down her spine. Now that she looked back on it, this place, The Mojave Wasteland, was a dangerous and inhospitable place to live. It was astonishing to Cinder that major factions held any interest in this place at all. She had remembered Six talking about two battles that occurred in the same place.

Just then two voices could be heard coming out of the elevator. The first being from a male, probably in his mid-thirties, and a girl, not older than twenty. As she listened she recognized the voice of the girl. It was Weiss Schnee. She had to conceal her identity so that she wouldn't be discovered. If anyone in team RWBY could figure out who it was that narrated the speech during the fall of beacon it would be her. Her best bet was to keep the breathing mask on, hoping it would distort her voice.

"So, why are we here?" Weiss asked to the man.

"This is where he is when he's not out adventuring or hunting. That, and it was the closest place to look, so we came here first." The man replied. Then the sound of the elevator rising, then after a few minutes, falling once more came to her ears. She heard the metal doors slide open and the sound of Six's voice echoed throughout the suite.

"Hey Arcade…" Six said in a solemn tone.

"Six there's someth-" Arcade said before being interrupted by Six.

"The Enclave?" Six asked, much to the shock of Arcade and Weiss.

"How did you know?" Arcade asked, still in a state of minor shock.

"I got a message from my friend on the east coast. He told me that the remains of the east coast branch were planning to strike New Vegas in order to get closer to the west coast." Six explained.

"Huh, so you got that communication line up and running?" Arcade asked to which Six simply nodded his head. "Oh, by the way, this is Weiss Schnee." Arcade said introducing the young heiress to the Courier.

"What can she do?" Six asked, not facing Weiss but instead in Arcade's direction.

"Excuse me?!" Weiss asked, a bit taken aback. Had this man ever heard of manors? While she was in a wasteland, and should expect him to have none, Arcade was kind enough to be courteous to her.

"Hm?" Six asked, looking over at Weiss with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Ex-excuse m-me?" Weiss asked once more, this time getting a good view of his facial features. He had a large scar that ran from the top of his left eye, down to his right cheek. She could only get a glance at his caramel eyes and his long, dark brown hair. He eyes darting around her figure, trying to find any type of weakness or Achilles heel.

"What?" Six asked in a commanding voice, showing his authority not through violence or wit, but rather through sheer stature alone.

"If you wish to know my abilities then just ask me." Weiss said, crossing her arms.

"Is this who you want to be your wife, Arcade?" Six asked, raising an eyebrow at the doctor.

"WIFE?!" Weiss shouted, Arcade however just looked unamused.

"Oh, was I mistaken? My bad." Six said nonchalantly as he walked over to Cinder's room. But before he left, he added one more quip, just as a tease. "You do seem to take a liking to the ones with attitude." Six said, hiding a snicker as he left the lobby.

"So _that_ was the guy who can deal with the Enclave?" Weiss asked Arcade.

"Yes." Arcade said with the shake of his head.

"Is he always like this?" She asked, hoping for a resounding no.

"No. The only other time he's acted like this was when he had a female companion." Arcade explained as they took an unused room in the presidential suite.

"And how many times has that happened?" Weiss asked, taking a seat on the bed.

"Twice. First with Veronica then with Cass." Arcade said, readying his information to present formally to Six.

"Cass was the woman who was with you when you found me?" Weiss asked.

"Yup. She's certainly a character." Arcade answered as he organized the papers.

"And who's Veronica?" Weiss asked, unpacking their supplies into a safe.

"Another of Six's female friends." Arcade said.

"So, I was thinking… how do you know so much about the Enclave?" Weiss asked, using the momentum of the back and forth to maybe get some information on Arcade's past.

Arcade just sighed."I already told you. They were a big force back in the day and knowing the past is very important for helping the future."

Weiss however wouldn't accepted this answer. "You know that's not true. Sure if you studied them you could learn about them and maybe a few things about their inner workings but you know EXACTLY how they operate which as far as I can tell is knowledge that most are not privy to." Weiss stated Fiercely.

Arcade responds with his own ferocity. "You what is true? That digging into someone's past is both rude _and_ and good way to anger someone _especially_ if that person is someone who saved your life." Hearing this, Weiss was taken back for moment as this was the first time she had heard Arcade with such anger. She lowered her head in shame and mumbled a sorry.

Arcade once again sighed. "Look, my past it's… it's not pretty and it's not something you can just share out of the blue. Hell even telling you this much is a stretch, but you seem like a nice girl so i'll tell you this much. I never did anything bad personally in my past but… I was associated with people who did and just because of knowing them I could be in danger."

Weiss looks up and gives him a understanding look."I know the feeling as well."

Arcade smiled at her "There's something you should know about the Courier. He's been through some things. The Divide, The Sierra Madre, Zion, and The Big Mountain. He's been to everyone of those places. You may not know about those places, the people of Mojave do, and they can tell you the tales, but Six, he can tell you them with more accuracy. He may be a bit rough around the edges, but he's as honest and true as they come." Arcade said, giving Six his ringing endorsement.

"You really think so?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, he's hard to get used to, but once you do he will _always_ have your back." Arcade said.

Six entered Cinder's room to find her in her new outfit. "Nice get-up. I got something for you that might help you to complete it." Six said, handing her a pip-boy that he had found in vault 22 after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam. He decided to keep it after he found it and repaired it. Six had always found a fascination with technology, and thus was a master when it came to repairing things. Once he had met Cinder and gotten fond of her, he decided to give her the pip-boy so that she could better organize her inventory. She took it and snapped it onto her arm.

"So, you use it like this." Six said, demonstrating the basic concept of depositing and withdrawing items from the Personal Information Processor.

"Thanks." Cinder thanked him.

"That should help you with that." Six said as he rose from the bed.

"Hey Six, I was wondering if you could add some light armor to this duster?" Cinder asked.

"I can see what I can do, how have you been doing since we got here?" Six asked.

"I've been doing fine." Cinder lied, handing Six a spare duster of the one that she took.

Ilia Amitola

She entered a settlement called Westside. She bought a room in a cheap motel and settled down for the rest of the day. She cracked open another one of the notebooks she had taken from the Remnants Bunker. This one detailed about the first battle of Hoover Dam. It was a conflict between the two factions of the NCR and Caesar's Legion. They were fighting over the dam for the large output of power it was capable of. From what was noted about the dam itself, the Hoover Dam was built more than three hundred years old, and yet it still stood strong.

The giant monoliths of this world amazed her, the same could not be said about the people who built them however. She put the notebook down and opened up one of the papers from the same bunker. "The possible outcomes of a second battle of New Vegas." Ilia read as she scanned through the paper. "There are three possible outcomes for a battle of New Vegas. The first being a NCR victory. This would result in intense taxing of the populace and emphasis on development of military technology. This would most likely drive most of the average inhabitants of New Vegas and its surrounding territories to move east to avoid the taxation." Ilia continued.

"The second outcome would result in a Legion victory. The Legion's victory is far less desirable if compared to that of an NCR victory. The Legion victory would result in a complete takeover of the strip, enslaving any women they can get their hands on. For the tribes that have turned to casinos and staking claim to areas of the strip, they would be assimilated into the Legion like all the tribes before them. They would create a deep wound in the Mojave that would likely never heal. Whereas the NCR would offer protection in exchange for currency, the Legion would offer protection in exchange for support in the way of manpower and supplies, the fate of those who support the Legion will sadly mimic that of the Twisted Hairs tribe." She read, turning the page to learn more about the previously mentioned Twisted Hairs.

"The Twisted Hairs supported Caesar's Legion, being used as forward scouts for the Legion. However, once the Legion had conquered Arizona, they betrayed the Twisted Hairs, those who resisted were crucified and executed, those who did not were assimilated into the Legion, their tribal culture being entirely erased." Ilia read, taking a sip of purified water.

"The third and final outcome of the second battle of Hoover Dam would be a victory by that of the current ruler of New Vegas, Mr. House. Not a lot is known about Mr. House, however what is known is that he defended New Vegas from the nuclear warheads of the great war. With his sophisticated laser defense system, he spared New Vegas from the nuclear wrath of the great war. He currently controls the securitrons of the strip. However while this is the best outcome of the battle, it is also the least likely. House has never stepped foot outside the Lucky 38, his personal fortress in New Vegas. In fact, House has never been seen in person, and only communicates with the outside world via messages and through a radio show hosted by 'Mr. New Vegas' from the Lucky 38." Ilia finished, placing the paper back into its folder.

Ilia heard a knock on the door as she packed her things to leave. "Who is it?" She asked, palming her plasma pistol.

"Just a…" There was a pause, as if the person on the other side of the door was thinking of what to say. "Friend." The voice said with a creepy tone.

"I don't have any friends here." Ilia countered, keeping her eyes on the door knob.

"Well I can _be_ your friend." The voice said, Fizz starting to hiss at the source of the voice.

"Fuck off, _now_." Ilia threatened, but to no avail. A large man burst through the door, wielding a combat knife and power fist. He charged forward, lunging forward with the knife leading his attack. Ilia grabbed her whip and struck the man in the shoulder, a slight burn mark showing on the impact area.

"AH YOU BITCH! At first I was going to let you live after I had my way with you, but now you're going to DIE!" He shouted, swinging the power fist in her direction. She ducked to avoid the swing, firing at the man with her plasma pistol. The plasma burned into his left leg, forcing him down to the ground. She slashed at his neck with her whip, leaving another larger burn mark being left on his neck. He grabbed Ilia and threw her against the wall. Knocking her out. Fizz lunged his jugular, ripping it out with a newly felt rage after seeing his mother harmed in such a way.

After the threat was eliminated, Fizz nudged Ilia's face to try and wake her up. However, it had no effect, and thus Fizz sat in front of her, guarding her until she awoke. It took four hours until she woke up.

"Fizz, what happened?" Ilia asked her pet, who simply motioned towards the dead man. "Oh, let's get out of here." Ilia said, picking up Fizz and rushing out of the motel. She ran out of Westside and all the way to the gates of Freeside. As she moved to the area marked on the map that was marked as the Old Mormon Fort. She noticed how rundown the area of Freeside was, crumbling buildings, muggers and thieves scurrying around the allies, giant rats running around the streets. She finally reached the Old Mormon Fort. She pushed open the large wooden doors and approached the first human she saw.

"Excuse me, where is Arcade Gannon?" Ilia asked the woman.

"Him? He's gone, I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked with a warm tone.

"Yea, I hit my head pretty bad, could you see if there's anything wrong with it?" Ilia asked, hoping that this woman wouldn't stab her in the back.

"Sure, I'll test you for a concussion, just follow me." The woman said leading her to a medical tent. "My name's Julie Farkas by the way." Julie said as she started the test.

Blake Belladonna

Blake was woken up by the sounds of shouting from outside Raul's shack. "And I told you to fuck off!" She could hear Raul shouting.

"If you don't give us the caps, we're going to fuck you up!" a far lower voice threatened.

"Fine! But don't come around here _ever_ again, understood?!" Raul shouted, giving the men the requested caps, and storming into his shack.

"What was that about?" Blake asked, rubbing her eye.

"Just some lone-sharks, nothing to worry about." Raul said as he loaded up his revolver. Both Blake and Raul heard an acute beeping in one of the corners of the shack.

"What's that?" Blake asked her host.

"Hm, it looks like you're going to be meeting the Courier." Raul said, grabbing his ammo belt and back up weapons.

"You mean the person who I hear so much about from Mr. New Vegas over the radio?" Blake questioned, receiving an affirmative nod from Raul. "Do you think I'm ready to go out there?" Blake asked.

"As ready as you will ever be." Raul answered, handing Blake a custom 12.7 millimeter pistol with the name Li'l Devil. "Use this, you're used to using pistols so you should be fine using it. Not to mention it packs more of a punch, is more accurate and has a higher rate of fire." Raul explained, throwing her a few ammo belts which she strapped around her. "One more thing, you should be ready to kill if we encounter trouble." Raul warned, holding the door open for Blake.

"To kill?" Blake asked with concern.

"Yes. You are going to have to kill someone sooner or later, it's an inevitability. If it helps you, know that the people who you are killing are trying to kill you." Raul said, trying to comfort the cat faunus.

"Thanks…" Blake said, a bit apprehensive. She didn't condone killing for the white fang, and she didn't like killing and she was adamant of not doing it now. She _wouldn't_ become like Adam. "So, did the Courier really win the battle of Hoover Dam?" Blake asked, wanting to know about the interesting figure.

"While Mr. New Vegas is not an actual person, what he says is no lie. In fact, he's the most reliable source of news in the Mojave." Raul said, leading Blake to New Vegas. As they walked the sounds of explosions could be heard in the distance.

"Who's that?" Blake inquired.

"The explosions? Probably the Boomers." Raul said.

"The Boomers?" Blake questioned.

"People who are so obsessed with explosive weapons that if you were to tell me that they fetishized it, I wouldn't be surprised." Raul said with an enjoyable chuckle. "Anyways, we should be arriving at The Courier's place in about an hour or two." Raul said before scanning the horizon for anything that would resemble a threat. He motioned for Blake to take cover under a ledge as he joined her under the cover.

"I saw some fiends coming towards us. I don't think they saw us, but we're going to stay here for a while just in case." Raul said, raising his revolver, readying it to shoot should he need to do so. Blake cocked back the slide of Li'l Devil, loading it with hollow point rounds. The sound of footsteps got closer and closer as the two of them waited for the threats to pass by. However, none such thing happened. Instead, the fiends reached the edge of the cliff scanning the horizon.

"Any of you guys seem them?" One of the fiends asked.

"Naw, how about you?" the second asked the third.

"I saw them scurry over this cliff, but after that I lost them." The third said with disappointment. "Huh? What was that?" The third asked as he heard a high-pitched squeak under the cliff.

Raul covered Blake's mouth with his hand, raising his other hand's index finger to his closed mouth. She nodded slowly and aimed up towards the third fiend.

The third fiend motioned for the other two to flank the bottom of the cliff as he stood watch over its edge. The first pulled out a machete and flanked right. The second pulled out a Laser RWC and flanked left. Once they were in position the signal was given to attack. However they had lost the element of surprise, Blake knocked the machete out of first man's hand shooting his leg and knocking him out with a smack with her gun to the head. Raul fired at the head of the second, filling it with lead. Blake felt a sharp pain in the arm as a bullet pierced her skin. She weakly fired at the third fiend who had a sniper rifle and was aiming for the cat faunus.

"Burn in hell you wasteland fucks!" The third fiends shouted, firing at Blake once more. however Raul came to the rescue and shot the Fiend in the head.

"AAAAAH!" Blake screamed in pain as her adrenaline began to wear off.

"Calm down! Calm down! I'm treating it!" Raul shouted, trying to calm her down. His pleas went unheard and her screams continued. "I'm going to treat the wound, but its going to hurt. Here, bite down on this." Raul said, handing Blake a thick, wet rag. He placed in her mouth, letting her teeth grab hold of the cloth.

"I don't have anything that will dull the pain, but I can make this quick." Raul said as he pulled out a sack of healing powder since he didn't have any Stimpacks available he needed to buy more to them. Before he applied it, he sanitized the wound to prevent it from getting infected. The good thing about her injury was that it was a high caliber bullet, meaning it passed right through and was not lodged in her arm. He lined the perimeter of the wound with healing powder and bandaged it up with bandages the healing powder working its magic.

All the while Blake bit down hard on the rag, squeezing out nearly all of the water. Tears began to roll down her eyes as the pain began to hit her like a ton of bricks. Every sound from the opening of the package of healing powder to his sanitizing of the wound to the wrapping of the bandage could be heard through her enhanced fanus senses. However, those senses were slightly dulled from the extreme pain that was hitting her nervous system.

"There, it's all done." Raul said, taking pride in his handiwork. He noticed that Blake was crying. Whether it was from the pain or just because of the fact that she had sustained a serious wound for the second time, he didn't know. He handed her a handkerchief, which she took with gratitude, wiping the tears from her face. As he watched her wipe away the tears he began to think about his sister, who had cared for him all those years ago.

"Here." Blake said, handing Raul the handkerchief back.

"You can keep it, I don't have much use for it these days." Raul said, refusing it.

"Thanks…" Blake said putting it in her pocket.

"Alright, we should be able to make it to Old Mormon Fort by nightfall." Raul said, leading Blake to Freeside. "Just so you know, the area _around_ New Vegas isn't too pleasant, but we should only be staying there for one night, and in a safe place too." Raul said, only to be followed by silence. He lead Blake to Freeside where the Old Mormon Fort was. As Blake and Raul entered the medical facility, a familiar voice found its way to Blake's ears.

"BLAKE!" looking to see who called her name she saw Illia with completely Red skin pointing at her with her whip revolver.

"Illia!?" Blake asked in surprise she saw that Raul had his revolver pointed at illia.

"You know this girl?" Raul asked not looking away at Ilia. Blake nodded

"Yes I know here during my time in the white fang." Ilia just kept her look of rage at Blake.

"You! I can't believe it! You're here?! How?! You know what, it doesn't matter." Illia asked

"Illia I can't believe you're here. Look we can talk please just put the gun down." Blake tried to reason.

"TALK? why would I talk to a traitor like you? You betrayed everything we worked for and everything the white fang stands for and you want me to talk to you?" Ilia said in anger.

"The white fang is who betrayed me! We were meant to be peaceful, not start a race war getting innocent people killed." Blake said defending her choice.

"Really and what did that do for us? NOTHING, it never worked blake besides all humans are evil they deserve to die." Illia responded.

"That's not true humans can be good! You can't just judge the entire race by a bad few, doing that makes you no better than the people who hate us..."

This set illia off. "DO NOT COMPARE ME TO THEM." she roared catching the attention of some follower guards in the area who recognized Raul to see what was happening. "You haven't see what I have seen Blake! these humans are _evil_." Blake shook her head.

"Not all of them. Ilia you have to listen." She pleaded.

"Listen huh funny you never listened but then maybe that was our problem. Talking never did anything for us actions always did speak louder than words." Illia began to pull the trigger of her gun, but before she could she was shot in the shoulder by a follower guard with a cowboy repeater who decided to help.

Raul went to take a shot but he missed before he could as blake pulled his gun away from her. "DONT PLEASE."

Illia now injured, began to run away as she was running she saw another guard behind her with a gun to her face. Before he could shoot however Fizz grabbed his leg and threw him to the side while also blocking shots from bullets with his tendrils hurting him but stopping the bullets. Allowing Him and Illia to escape.

Back with Raul and Blake Raul was getting up and looking at blake with confusion. "Why did you stop me?"

"She was my friend once and I don't believe you need violence to solve any problems, she can change she just needs time." Raul just shook his head.

"Thats nice Blake but this is the wasteland, most crimes here are solved with death." Blake just scowled at this.

"It doesn't have to be!" She said adamantly. Raul just sighed.

"I dont wanna argue with you right now lets just go meet up with Six." after that Raul and Blake enter the strip.

When they got there she was amazed by how amazing it looked. The neon signs the fountains the robot guards the giant casinos and the people in nice clothing wandering around entering or leaving those said casinos. what she noticed however was how many people that had not the most stellar of clothing on, no that's not right some of these people seem to wear rags on them.

"Enjoying the sights?" Raul asked.

"Yea It's amazing especially after being in the desert for so long." Raul chuckled

"Yea it does have that effect."

"Although It seems to me that there are more… not rich people around here than i would have expected." Raul sighed.

"Yea ever since the NCR banned people from coming here the economy hasn't been stellar and Six allowing anyone to enter the strip didn't help bring in people either since the rich don't like to be around those who are not also rich." Raul said blake nodded to that statement although she didn't know who this NCR was she did now how stuck up rich people could be.

Walking up to one of the largest towers blake has seen rivaled only by the CCT and Beacon Raul began to speak. "Welp here we are."

"Are you sure you have the right place?" Blake asked amazed by the building in front of her..

"Yup, this is the place." Raul said walking up to the intercom to the side of the door. He pressed the red button next to the intercom. "Hey boss, it's me, Raul. I got some friend who need some medical help." Raul spoke into it.

"HEY RAUL! IT'S YOU!" a groggy voice shouted through the other side of the intercom. "IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! BRING YOUR FRIEND IN TOO!" the voice on the other side said.

"Is he…" Blake began to ask, before Raul answered her.

"Drunk? Yes. He's not always drunk but when he is, he gets _trashed_." Raul answered, leading the young lady through the large doors. They entered the elevator, Raul pressed a button that had the title 'Cocktail Lounge'. "We should get to him before he starts threatening the NCR and starting an all out war." Raul said as he nervously tapped his feet.

"He's done that?" Blake said with a bit concern.

"He hasn't _successfully_ done it." Raul said as the doors swung open to the cocktail lounge. The two of them ran over to Six who was sitting with a woman about his age.

"Cass?" Raul asked, a bit confused.

"Raul! How have you been?" Cass asked as she sauntered over to the ghoul. She gave him a long, warm hug, then began to eye the two women with him.

"And who might you two be?" Cass asked with a playful smile across her face.

"I am Blake Belladonna who are you, Cass?" Blake asked.

"Well I'm glad you asked! I'm one of Six's many friends. However, I'm also in a tightly knit group called 'The Guardians'." Cass said with a smug smirk.

"How is the boss doing?" Raul asked Cass who merely pointed in Six's direction.

"He's been enjoying some whiskey with me for the past hour, confiding in me some of his feelings towards his newest companion. Hell, he's even considered adding her to The Guardians." Cass said. Finishing her explanation, she moved over to Blake and continued her interrogation.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Blake! I gotta get Six back to his room, would you mind helping me?" Cass asked as Raul shrugged and carried Six over to the elevator. Blake followed him into the elevator, and closed the door behind him.

"Raul…" Six stammered with alcohol bouncing off his breath.

"What boss?" Raul asked as Six rose to his feet.

"I've been thinking… would it be possible for me to settle down somewhere in a few years?" Six asked with sadness in his eyes.

"Well… I'm sure you will get that chance someday." Raul said, trying to reassure his boss.

"I hope so…" Six said as the doors slid open. Six slowly treaded to Cinder's room with her armored duster in his inventory.

"Hey Cinder, are you doing alright?" Six asked as he sat on the bed next to her.

"Yes Six, I'm doing fine." Cinder said with an amused chuckle. "Have you finished adding armor to the duster?" She asked, smelling the alcohol on his breath.

"Yea, I got it." Six said in a downcast attitude, handing her the duster with the odd symbol on its back. "I gave it some light armor so as not to impede your fighting style." Six explained as Cinder equipped it using her pip-boy.

"You know, I'm starting to take a liking to this thing." Cinder said, pointing to the pip-boy.

"I thought you would put it to good use." Six said, cracking a smile.

'You need to talk to him Cinder.' Pyrrha said, trying to get Cinder to open up.

'Why waste the energy?' Cinder retorted.

'Just look at him. There is clearly something that's been bothering him. And if you need more motivation, you might get closer to him.' Pyrrha argued.

'Fine.' Cinder thought, finally giving in.

"Hey Six, are you doing alright?" She asked in the most motherly tone she could muster.

"…" Six gave no answer. Cinder moved closer to Six, wrapping her arm around Six's waist, trying to comfort him.

"Would you like to hear a story, Cinder?" Six asked with a thousand-yard stare on his face.

"Sure." Cinder responded, wondering which story he would tell her.

"It was about five years ago, and I was living with my family in NCR territory. We were a happy family. It consisted of me, my older brother, my younger sister, my mother and father. My father told me to go into town to buy some food from the local trader. As I was walking to the shop, I met _her_." Six said, taking a sip of Nuka-Cola.

"Cassette?" Cinder asked, to which Six nodded at.

"She seemed nice at first, but as I got to know her more and more. The more obsessive and insane she became. After about a year, I decided to break up with her. As you can probably guess how that turned out." Six said with light hearted chuckle.

"Two months after the break-up, I came home from my job of being a courier for the Mojave Express to find my entire family butchered in the kitchen of our house. I searched for months to find who did it, and why they would do such a thing. However, I found no success, and gave up due to me now having to fend for myself." Six said, taking another sip.

"Did you ever find who did it?" Cinder asked, expecting him to retell his story.

"Until a few days ago, I never did. But those few days ago, I finally found the culprit. It was Cassette. She was the one who killed them. I learned this when I was coming to your rescue." Six said with a sigh.

Cinder looked up to the man who had protected her from the terrors of the Mojave Wasteland, a man that she now realized, was very broken. He had lost his family to a crazy ex. Then, that very same ex came after her, someone who Six was trying to protect. After he had rescued her, the realization must have dawned on him that he had failed twice to protect those he cared for. First, his family, second, her, to much less severe extent.

"Six, I've grown since I got here, so there is no reason worry for my safety." Cinder said, trying to reassure her partner.

Six reverted to his lighter and more jovial attitude. "Are you going soft on me Cinder?" Six asked with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"You wish, partner." Cinder shot back with an equally smug look. The sound of the elevator opening was heard, and an excited squeak to accompany it. "One thing I need to talk to you about quickly." Cinder beckoned Six back over to her as he walked towards the door.

"What is it?" Six asked, walking back towards her.

"Those girls that came in with your past companions, they aren't very fond of me." Cinder said nervously.

"Cinder, I promised I'd protect you, and I have no intention on breaking that promise." Six said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted with excitement.

"Weiss, are you alright?" Winter asked, tending to her younger sister.

"Yes, I'm fine sister. Are _you_ alright?" Weiss asked back at her older sister.

"I'm quite alright." Winter said, warmly hugging her sister.

"Where are the rest of your teammates that were with us on the ship?" Winter asked the young Schnee heiress.

"I saw Blake coming in, but I haven't seen Yang yet, I'm a bit worried for her." Weiss said with a downtrodden look on her face.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the man in charge here can assist you with finding Yang." Winter said as both Six and Cinder walked out of Cinder's room fully decked out in their gear. Thankfully, Cinder was unrecognizable to either of the Schnee's. Just then, Blake and Raul entered.

"I think it's high time we convene a meeting of The Guardians." Six said with a confident smirk on his face.

"Boss, there is something you need to know." Raul said, walking towards the Courier.

"What might that be?" Six asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lily." Raul said with a solemn.

"What about her?" Six countered.

"She's dead, boss." Raul said with a gulp. The Courier was visibly angered, clenching his fists and revealing his k9s with rage.

"And who was it that killed her?" Six asked slowly with building rage.

"An NCR patrol was responsible for her death." Raul said

This angered six greatly. "Those Those BASTARDS." Six punched the wall leaving a nice sized hole in the wall everyone backed away from six but eventually he calmed down. "As much as I hate to say it we have to mourn her loss some other time for now let's let our new friends meet the guardians.

"So, who are these guardians you were speaking of?" Winter asked.

"Why, you're looking at them." Six said, motioning towards his past companions. "We're just missing one, Veronica." Six said as he walked to the elevator with Cinder in tow. The rest followed him into the large elevator. They rode the elevator to a lower level in the Lucky 38.

Yang Xiao Long

Yang was following Veronica to New Vegas. As they trekked towards the glowing city, the scorching heat beating down on them. They had begun to travel to the city of sin at the rise of the sun in the morning. It was cool at first, the deserts were infamous for its daylight heat, however, the desert nights were as cold as the days were hot.

"Yang, go into that building!" Veronica shouted out of the blue.

"Ok. But why?" Yang asked as they both headed for a ruined building.

"Sandstorm. They don't come around often, but when they do, they can be _very_ dangerous if you're not wearing protective gear." Veronica said as she closed the door behind her. "We can stay here while the sandstorm passes. We should scope out this place and see if there is anything worth taking in the meantime." Veronica said, scanning the lobby of the building. As she did so, a few voices could be heard on the second level of the structure.

"You hear that?" Veronica said, Yang nodded, readying herself for combat. "I'm going to see if we can talk to them, if we can't then be ready to fight." Veronica said as they ascended the stairs to the second floor. Yang hid behind the door frame, waiting for Veronica to give her the signal.

"Hey there! What are you guys doing here?" Veronica asked with a jovial tone.

"Might I ask you the same thing, profligate?" Yang heard a man's voice asked back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to intrude." Veronica said, backing off.

"Wait." Another male voice commanded at Veronica.

"I recognize you." The second voice continued. "You were with the Courier during the battle of Hoover Dam!" The legionary shouted.

"Shit!" Veronica yelled, running through the door, just barely avoiding a Legion throwing spear.

"GET HER!" a sterner male commanded. Yang prepared to fight, readying her prosthetic arm for combat. The first man rushed out of the door, charging at Veronica. He didn't notice Yang lying in wait for the attackers. She sent a powerful punch into the legionary's side, an audible crack could be heard, his ribcage shattering from the impact. He screamed in pain, sending a payload of bullets towards Yang. She rolled down the stairs, taking cover behind a bookshelf.

She saw a spear fly over her head as another legionary vaulted over the bookshelf she was behind. He had more armor than the first one she attacked, he had a metal helmet with some red plumage coming out of its top. His abdomen was covered in a metal armor, and he was using some sort of lance as a weapon. He lunged at Yang with his lance as she slid to the side to avoid his attack. She tried to get closer to the Centurion, however her attempt failed as the man swung his lance, forcing Yang back within his attack range.

"You'd make for a nice personal slave with that body of yours." The man commented with a sneer while licking his lips.

"Fuck you." Yang spat back.

"With a mouth like that I'm going to have to teach you your place!" The Centurion shouted, sending multiple rapid jabs towards Yang. With her training from Veronica, she was able to dodge the swift strikes. However, she failed to realize the second Legionary charging at her flank. She felt a blunt and painful force hit her side as she tensed up. She looked to see her side being hit repeatedly with a baseball bat.

She felt a sharp burning pain in her other side, looking over to see the lance poking her in her ribs. She quickly back stepped before grabbing the lance with her prosthetic arm, crushing the Centurion's weapon before his very eyes. He charged forward, grabbing Yang by the neck.

"I am going to have you all to myself, but before I do, I'm going to show you what happens when you disobey your new master." The Centurion said with a maliciously lecherous look.

"YANG!" Veronica shouted with worry as she finished off the third Legionary. She rushed forward, smashing into the face of the Legionary that accompanied the Centurion. The man dropped Yang, charging Veronica with his fists at the ready. She lunged forward, aiming for another head shot, but he ducked, sending a powerful sucker punch to her stomach. Yang took this opportunity to strike the man from behind.

She began to sprint forward, the Centurion snapped his head towards Yang, grabbing hold of her arm and flung her into a nearby bookshelf. She slammed into the bookshelf, feeling her bones starting to crack. He turned back to Veronica, only to receive a punch to the groin, then to the throat. The two consecutive attacks served as a tactic to temporarily stun the opponent. Veronica decided to advance as the Centurion released a flurry rabid punches in Veronica's direction. Thankfully none hit their mark, as he lunged forward, she grabbed his arm and pulled him forward into the heavy punch she was readying. As his armor hit her power fist, it crumpled, the metal tangling and contorting, stabbing into his body, some small trails of blood trickling out of the Centurion's body. She sent another punch to his face, obliterating his nose as blood poured out of his wounds.

"YANG!" Veronica yelled as she ran towards the injured girl.

"I'm fine Veronica, just a few scratches." Yang said, trying to reassure her companion.

"I don't think a direct hit from a thermic lance and a few cracked ribs counts as 'a few scratches'." Veronica said treating her burn wound from the thermic lance.

"Who were those guys?" Yang asked as she hissed in pain as Veronica continued to treat the burn.

"Caesar's Legion." Veronica said in a dark tone.

"They aren't very fond of you, are they?" Yang asked with sarcasm.

"No, they aren't." Veronica chuckled as she helped up Yang from the ground.

"They mentioned the Courier, who is that guy?" Yang asked as Veronica wrapped her arm around her shoulder to help her walk.

"He's the guy I told you about earlier." Veronica said, very much enjoying the physical contact with Yang.

"Really?! Well now I really want to meet this guy. Do you think the sandstorm has passed?" Yang asked.

"Yea, probably." Veronica said with pleased hum.

"Uh, Veronica, are you ok? You're acting kinda weird." Yang asked.

"Oh! Sorry, I was just caught up in my thoughts, that's all!" Veronica responded with a nervous stutter.

"Ok, now let's go meet this 'Courier'." Yang said as Veronica lead her out of the building, walking towards New Vegas.

Adam Taurus

Adam was looking at the burned man as he and he asked a question that was bugging him. "Why haven't you locked me up?"

"Because I believe you are just a lost soul who needs guidance, someone who was similar to me. But make no mistake my kindness is not weakness if you hurt anyone in this valley god willing you will not leave this valley alive." Joshua stated this last point very firmly, Adam just sneered and nodded deciding it would be fruitless to challenge him especially in his own home.

"So, tell me young man, why did you join the Legion?" Joshua asked Adam.

"Why should I tell you, human?" Adam shot back, trying to deflect the previous legate's question.

"You don't have to, but it would give me some information on their recruitment tactics." Joshua reasoned.

"Give me one reason on why I should help you as opposed to the Legion?" Adam countered, trying to get an advantage over Joshua.

"I can give you one, but you will have to hold still." Joshua said as he walked over to Adam. He began to fiddle around with his collar until it sprang open, releasing Adam's neck from its metal grip. "When you're a Legate in the Legion you are gifted with many things, weapons, armor, and slaves, being just a few. However, after I was outcast from the Legion for my defeat, I decided to take vengeance upon those whom I had previously called brother. The first thing I did to disrupt the Legion was to free their slaves. It was not meant be a major blow to the Legion, however it did put a dent in their moral. What I learned was that while killing was a nice way to get some satisfaction, helping others gave me more fulfillment. It reminds me of a quote from my bible, "Those who live by the Sword died by the Sword." Joshua said, giving Adam some personal space.

'This human is quite… interesting. He released me from the explosive collar without knowing what I would do.' Adam thought before asking the previous Legate another question.

"Why not go into hiding instead of fighting against those who want you dead?" Adam inquired.

"When you are molded into a person who can do nothing but kill and intimidate, you naturally go back to it. Old habits die hard I assume. However, with the intervention of an unexpected someone, I was able to find relative peace in both my mind, and my world. In that peace, I was able to atone for my wrongdoings, and because of the aforementioned person, the Zion Confederation was born between the Sorrows, Dead Horses, and now the Amutas. We are not here to start a war, we wish only to be left alone, but if we were to be attacked, we will fight back." Joshua explained.

"So, you decided to hide after all." Adam stated. "And who is this 'someone' that you mentioned?" Adam asked.

"Ah, the man who showed me mercy, The Courier." Joshua said with a light chuckle.

"The man you mentioned that he was coming for the Legion?" Adam asked.

"Yes. He showed me the value of mercy." Joshua explained.

"What value is there in mercy?" Adam shot back.

"It is way to display one's power without using it. Speak softly and carry the big stick, if you will." Joshua said, walking out of the tent. Adam followed Joshua, to ask him one for question.

"Where is Vulpes?" Adam asked.

"Him? He's back in the cave." Joshua answered as he walked towards a group of Dead Horses. Adam meanwhile walked into the cave with no resistance to find Vulpes' bound by the hands and feet lying on a leather cot.

"So, how did your meeting with the Malpase Legate go?" Vulpes asked.

"It was… interesting to say the least." Adam said, taking a seat next to Vulpes.

"Your collar has been removed, was that the doing of the legate?" Vulpes asked as he rose from his lying position to face the white fang leader.

"Yes, he removed it." Adam answered, stretching his arms.

"Listen closely, I have a plan to get us out of here, but can't divulge the specifics.." Vulpes said strictly, continuing to tell Adam the plan. "I have learned of an unknown passage that leads out of this place. We will leave in two days. I'll have enough supplies by then for us to make it back to Legion territory." Vulpes whispered to Adam.

"Are you going to put another collar on me once we get back?" Adam shot back under his breath.

"So, long as you accompany me back, you won't have to worry about that." Vulpes whispered back to Adam.

"What about our weapons?" Adam asked.

"We will have to do without them. If we absolutely need one, we can swipe some from the armory." Vulpes responded.

"Alright, I'm going to get some air." Adam said, walking out of the cave. He was greeted by some of the Sorrows sitting around a campfire. One of the greeted Adam and motioned for him to sit with them around the fire.

"Have you heard of the Father in the caves?" One of them asked.

"I have not." Adam answered.

"He's a spirit that looks after us and keeps us safe from those who would do us harm. He has taught our ancestors how to survive in this world. From what he told us, he was sorry for what had happened in the times before. His teachings were his way to apologize, teaching us how to live in this new world. He sent Joshua and the Courier to save us from the White Legs." The tribal explained.

"So, he was guilty of what he caused?" Adam asked, gaining some interest in the religion of these primitive humans.

"Indeed. He told us that Zion was a gift to us, so that we could live our lives peacefully. I'm sure he's watching over all of us to this very day, even you." Another Sorrow said, pointing at Adam. Some Dead Horses joined the Sorrows sitting at the fire.

"You." One of the Dead Horses said, pointing at Adam. "You are a troubled soul with a great weight resting on your shoulders. As to be expected from a warrior." The tribal said, handing Adam some cooked gecko meat. He took it and ate it, devouring it whole.

And that's that!


	10. Guardians of the Mojave

As always a _BIG_ thanks to commanderpill for editing this chapter for me!

Yang Xiao Long

Yang and Veronica approached the gates to Freeside, both of them looking up at the large, glowing sign of Freeside.

"I need to get you something before we go meet Six." Veronica said as she led Yang to a store called Mick and Ralphs.

"What is this place?" Yang asked, looking around the store.

"Its Mick and Ralphs. Six took me here once to buy some comfortable clothes for when we were had some down time." Veronica said, getting the attention of one of the two shopkeepers. The other one approached Yang.

"So, what brings you to Mick and Ralphs?" Mick asked the blonde huntress.

"I honestly don't know, my partner just brought me here." Yang said in a bit of confusion.

"Yea, she's been coming by a lot lately, don't know why, but my brother and I sure don't mind." Mick said, with a chuckle.

"What does she buy?" Yang asked, a bit curious of the buying habits of her mentor.

"Dresses and spare parts for her power fist." Mick explained much to the surprise of Yang.

"I'd understand the spare parts, but a dress, really?" Yang asked in a state of minor shock.

"Yup, we get new stock of different dresses every week just for her. The Courier managed to hook us up with the dresses just so she could be happy and enjoy her life. He comes around from time to time to check up on the shop and buys all the ammo we have in stock." Mick explained for Yang.

"He seems like a nice guy." Yang said, her interest in the man known as Courier Six began to grow further.

"He's surprisingly compassionate when it comes to those he's worked with." Mick said, handing Yang a small, blue box with a lock sealing it closed.

"What's this?" Yang asked, taking the box.

"It's something that Six ordered yesterday. I figured you could save me the trip and give it to him when you see him." Mick explained.

"Where's the key?" Yang asked.

"Six has it. Both the box and its contents are known only by Six. He paid my brother and I to hold on to it until he ordered for it again. And to make sure that the contents of the box were not stolen, he kept the key." Mick explained.

"He seems to be a bit paranoid…" Yang said, a bit concerned for the mental health of the Courier.

"Well who wouldn't be, considering what he's been through." Mick said, lighting a cigarette.

"What do you mean 'what he's been through'?" Yang asked.

"Oh, you don't know? He was shot in the head, twice, and lived to tell the tail." Mick said, waiting for Yang's reaction.

"I don't believe you." Yang countered.

"You don't have to." Mick said much to the surprise of Yang. "You're going to see him, ask him yourself. He might even show you the scars." Mick finished, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Yang, look what I got you!" Veronica said with excitement, holding up a beautiful white dress. Mick nearly keeled over in laughter after seeing the look on Yang's face.

"Thanks…" Yang said, caught a bit off guard by Veronica's gift. She folded it up and packed it away for later.

"You can put it on when we get to the Lucky 38." Veronica said, taking Yang's hand and leading her out of the shop. They rushed through Freeside, going straight towards the checkpoint to New Vegas proper.

As they crossed into New Vegas, the bright lights of Sin City attracting the gaze of Yang and Veronica. "It's been too long…" Veronica said in awe as she led Yang to the Lucky 38. They were greeted by a robot with a disturbing smile on its monitor.

"Welcome back Veronica! Six will be quite glad to see you!" The robot said with an upbeat tone. "Who is this pretty little lady?" The robot asked her.

"Oh! Yes Man, this is Yang. Yang this is Yes Man." Veronica said, introducing her to the robot. "He's the A.I. that controls all aspects of Six's robot army and the computers in the Lucky 38." Veronica said, leading Yang into the casino.

"Wow, this place is amazing…" Yang said, taking in the sights of the ground floor of the building.

"If you think _that_ is impressive you should see the upper floors." Veronica said, as they entered the elevator to the presidential suite. As the elevator doors slid open, there was no one to be seen. However, there was a note quickly written on the door to Veronica's room.

"Dear Veronica, if you are reading this then you are here in time for a meeting of the Guardians. Please go to the conference room as soon as possible." Veronica read out loud.

"The Guardians?" Yang asked.

"I'll explain… once you are in the dress!" Veronica said, handing Yang the dress and pushing her into the changing portion of the room. Once Yang emerged from the room with the dress on, she looked over to Veronica to see her in a light pink dress. She motioned for Yang to follow her to the elevator.

"So, about 'The Guardians'… what are they exactly?" Yang asked as the elevator began to climb the floors of the Lucky 38.

"The Guardians were created about five months ago after the second battle of Hoover Dam. Courier Six decided to create a group of trustworthy people with whom he had worked with him in the past to safeguard the Mojave Wasteland from any threat, be it internal or external. We would go back to where we were before Six found us, except for Rex and ED-E, so that we could cover the most ground. With us spread out, we could watch over the people of the Mojave and report to Six should anything concerning arise." Veronica explained, looking at Yang.

'Just like huntsmen and huntresses.' Yang thought as she continued to listen to Veronica.

"However, Six decided to keep the creation of the Guardians out of public knowledge. He felt that if the people of the Mojave knew that they were being looked after, then they would grow weak and not learn how to defend themselves from the dangers of the wastes. He had also given us each a transponder so that should we been needed, he could send out a signal. We have meetings every five months where we give Six any reports of suspicious activity in our sector." Veronica finished as the doors to the elevator opened to a large room with a single, large table in it with enough chairs around it to seat a platoon of soldiers.

"Hey Six!" Veronica said, waving to the Courier.

"Glad you could make it Veronica." Six said with a calm voice.

"YANG!" Both Blake and Weiss shouted at the same time, rushing over to their teammate with arms outstretched.

"We were so worried about you!" Weiss said as she began to lecture Yang on safety.

"I'm just glad that you're ok." Blake said as she continued to hug her.

"Well, now that everyone is here, shall we begin?" Six asked, leading Yang and Veronica to a seat at the table.

Six took his seat and began the meeting. "I have obtained information that suggests that the Enclave may be planning an attack on New Vegas. I will try and negotiate with them, however, there is an extremely high chance of a battle, or even a war ensuing. From what information Arcade provided me, they have at least one hundred men, fifty percent of which have power armor. Twenty percent are officers, and the remaining thirty percent are scientists. If that isn't bad enough, they have at least ten deathclaws under their control. Any questions?" Six asked the rest of the Guardians.

"How much time do we have until they arrive at the Mojave?" Boone asked.

"From what I was able to gather, we have at least two weeks, at most a month." Arcade responded.

"Any other questions?" Six asked.

"The next subject of this meeting is the addition of a new member. As most of you know, Lily Bowmen passed away a few days ago, and due to such circumstances, her place must be filled in. I, Courier Six, hereby nominate Cinder Fall as to take her place.

Six said, turning to Cinder. "I have been traveling the wastes with her. She is more than capable in surviving the Mojave. She learns quick and can adapt just as quick to any situation she has been in. I would like to have her join us." Six said.

"Any objections?" Six asked, preparing to give her the position when Weiss rose from her seat.

"I have an objection." Weiss said with a stern look on her face.

"And what is your objection?" Six asked.

"She has killed in cold blood." Weiss said, confident in her argument.

"Who hasn't?" Six asked, much to the surprise of all the inhabitants of Remnants.

" _You've_ killed in cold blood?" Weiss asked with disbelief.

"Yea, I don't like it, but unfortunately as I hope you have noticed by now, this world isn't for the weak or weak-willed. Anything is justified under the context of survival." Six explained, walking over to Weiss. He slowly formed his hand into a fist and raised it up to Weiss's head. Winter, Blake, and Yang shot up from their seat, ready to defend their friend or sister from the man.

"Have you ever seen corpses of humans with bite marks smaller than my fist…" Six started to ask as he opened his gloved hand and pointed to his palm. "But bigger than my palm?" Six asked.

"N-no. Why are you asking me this?" Weiss shot back, a bit intimidated by the mere stature of Courier Six.

"Because… those are the bite marks of human teeth." Six said, taking seat next to Cinder. "What I'm getting at is that, while killing in cold blood isn't very 'kind' or 'pure' it's necessary, because sometimes it's kill or be killed. You don't know what situation Cinder was in when she killed, do you know if she was coerced, blackmailed, or threatened? You don't know and context matters in actions like that." Six said, turning to Cinder and giving her a warm smile.

"Does any of the _current Guardians_ have any objections?" Six asked, looking around the table.

"How well can she fight?" Raul asked, hoping to get on the Courier's good side, as he was.

"I can fight quite well, if I do say so myself." Cinder said, rising from her seat with a confident smile on her face. "I've killed some raiders and can strategize on my toes." Cinder finished, confident in how she presented herself.

"Any other questions or objections?" Six asked, looking around the room. Everyone from remnant held their tongue it was clear that Six wasn't going to listen to them so they would take matters into their own hands. Later. "None, good. Now there's one more thing I would like to show you all." Six said, leading them to the elevator.

"What is it that you need to show us, Boss?" Raul asked, only to receive a boisterous laugh.

"Why tell, when I can show…" Six said cryptically.

"Could we get any hints?" Veronica asked, only to get a slow shaking of the head from the Courier. The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the demonstration room.

"What's going on Six? We've all been here before besides the newcomers." Cass asked.

"Stay in the elevator, this isn't where we are going." Six said as a small, hand-sized touchpad revealed itself via a sliding panel that otherwise blended in completely with the interior of the elevator. They all watched as Six took off his right glove and pressed his open hand onto the screen.

"Welcome Courier, please submit to the rental eye scan." A calm female voice requested. Six slowly took off his shades and knelt down, his face being at eye level of the touch pad, a small scanning device scanned both of his eyes. Once the scan was finished, Six put his glove and shades back on.

"Why such the high security?" Boone asked.

"Because what I'm about to show you could single handedly win this upcoming war for us." Six said as the elevator doors slid open to reveal an absolutely astonishing sight.

"What are these?" Winter asked, exiting the elevator.

"In the old-world they were referred to them as 'Tanks'." Six said with air quotes.

"They look a bit complex to just hold water, don't you think?" Weiss asked the Courier.

"That's how they got their name. The first variant of the tanks was made to look like simple containers of water. But in reality, they were machines of absolute destruction. A tank requires a crew of men to use it to its highest potential. However, these tanks, they are automated. I managed to scavenge a few transponders, took them apart so that I knew how to replicate them, and did so." Six said walking out of the elevator.

"Six, this is dangerous stuff you're messing around with." Veronica's Brotherhood ideals starting to surface.

"I saw to it that should they fall into enemy hands, they will self-destruct so as not to fall into enemy hands. And the only existing blueprints exist up here." Six said, pointing to his head.

"You mean to tell me, that you memorized entire schematics and blueprints for machines as complex as these?" Arcade asked in disbelief.

"You and I both know that it can be done." Six said, looking at Arcade. "And if the self-destruct feature doesn't put your worries to bed Veronica, they are under the control of the same A.I. as the Securitrons." Six said with a confident smirk.

"You put an _A.I._ in a weapon that powerful?!" Veronica countered. "What if it deems that 'humans are no longer needed to protect New Vegas'?! What then Six? Can you protect us then?" Veronica continued.

"Isaac Asimov." Six said with absolution.

"What?" Veronica said, caught a bit off guard.

"Isaac Asimov." Six repeated. "Do you know who he was?" Six asked.

"No…" Veronica answered.

"Well, I'm sure the Brotherhood would have _loved_ him. He foresaw the problem of robots becoming self-aware and coming after humans. And so, he thought up three laws of robotics, each of which was implemented into the tanks' A.I. First rule, a robot must not, or by inaction, allow a human to be killed. Second rule, a robot must follow the order given to it by any human, unless it conflicts with the first law. Third law, a robot must protect its own existence, unless it conflicts with the first or second law." Six finished, facing the young scribe.

Veronica didn't agree with anything he was saying but she after everything she and him have gone through she would trust him on this.

"Any questions?" Six asked, facing the crowd.

"Who will they be used against?" Boone asked.

"Most likely the Enclave, they are highly technologically advanced and I don't want to take any chances." Six said.

"What about the Legion?" Boone asked with a stern tone.

"Yes, the Legion, I have been monitoring them as of late. From what I know, they intend to attack New Vegas as well, but I don't know when." Six said with a disappointed sigh. After that, the group moved back up to the Presidential suite. Each went to their respective rooms for the rest of the day.

After a while Veronica and Yang met back up with Six. "Hey Six! It been a while!" Six heard Veronica shout in his direction with her usual upbeat tone.

"Hey Veronica. I see you got another dress from Mick and Ralph's." Six said with a grin. "And who is _this_?" Six said, motioning towards Yang.

"Oh! Her? Her name's Yang and she's my pupil!" Veronica said happily.

"Nice to finally put a face to the man known as Courier Six we met each other at the meeting but didn't get to talk one on one." Yang said, extending her arm for a handshake, which was taken.

"So, what have you hear about me?" Six said with a curious grin on his face.

"Well… I've heard you aren't that bad at unarmed and melee combat. I've also heard you've helped out other people… when you feel like it that is." Yang answered.

"So, you've been around the block, just like every wastelander. Heard anything _interesting_ about me?" Six asked with a smirk.

"I'm sorry Six, but there just isn't anything interesting about you." Yang said, insulting Six in a very discrete manner.

"Oh, Yang, you wound me!" Six said in the most sarcastic manner possible. The two of them laughed until they needed a breather. "Yang, I think we are going to get along just fine." Six said, wiping the tears of laughter from his face. After the sarcastic battle, Veronica and Yang left the room.

"Hey Six, thanks for backing me up at the meeting." Cinder said, thanking the Courier for his assistance.

"Don't mention it Cinder. We're partners after all." Six said with a smile. "Oh, and that reminds me, if there is anything you need to get out of your system or vent about, I'm here for you." Six said, leading the fall maiden towards her bed. "I'm going to be gone for a day or two, stay strong Cinder, stay strong." Six whispered to her before giving her a peck on the forehead. He pulled out the Big Mountain Transportalponder and fired, disappearing from where he stood with only small blue particles taking his place.

'Cinder, I believe he's trustworthy. You _need_ to tell him. It's not safe for you to keep your emotions bottled up inside.' Pyrrha suggested, only to be shot down by Cinder.

'He'll see me as weak, he'll-' Cinder thought only to be interrupted by Pyrrha.

'He shared his past with you, he _trusts_ you. You have nothing to fear, but fear itself.' Pyrrha reasoned.

'Fine. I'll tell him. But on _my_ terms.' Cinder conceded.

'Fair enough.' Pyrrha said with the audible form of a shrug. 'And Cinder?' Pyrrha asked, hoping she would listen.

'Yes?' Cinder asked back.

'Although it may be hard to believe coming from me, but I do care about you, and not just because it depends on my survival. We may have been foes in Remnant, but here, we've become, I hope you could consider me… a friend.' Pyrrha said in a tone with both sorrow and hope.

'Huh.' Cinder thought. 'A friend… never would have thought.' Cinder thought as she drifted off into sleep. As she did, her mind began to create a scene that both her and Six were in. She was standing in a graveyard with three men facing a bound Six. There was a man with a black and white checkered coat and the pistol that Six used in his hand which he pointed at Six's head.

As she looked on she could hear the man in the checkered suit talking to Six. "Truth is… the game was rigged from the start." The man said before shooting Six in the head. The other two men who were with him carried Six's body and threw it into a shallow grave.

After his limp body hit the bottom of the grave the entire scene began to change, this time Six was facing the man in the checkered coat, with a hunting shotgun pointed at the coated man's head. They were in a sort of fort, surrounded by men in armor painted red, some wearing a fox's head, others wearing modified helmets. Each held a machete and shotgun on their back.

She heard Six say the very line that man told him before he shot Six in the head. "The truth is Benny… the game was rigged from the start." Six said with a malicious grin on his face.

"Well ain't that a kick in the head." Benny said with a shit-eating grin on his face. "So, are you going to kick my bucket, or am I going to die of boredom?" Benny asked the Courier.

"You will die by my hand, but not like this." Six said, motioning for two of the men to pick up Benny. They dragged him over to a make-shift arena. Six walked in and holstered his shotgun, and replaced it with a machete. One spare machete was thrown in front of Benny, who quickly picked it up.

"So, we're going to have a nice little sparring match, huh?" Benny asked.

"No, this is a fight to the death. If I kill you, I get your suit and gun, if you kill me, you get your freedom and the cloths on your back." Six said before charging Benny with his machete. Benny blocked the attack and sloppily countered, giving Six a shallow cut on his right leg. Six lunged forward, knowing full well that it was not a stabbing weapon but rather a slashing weapon.

Benny not knowing this, tried to block, but Six anticipated the action and grabbed the arm that held the weapon. Six disarmed Benny with a swift knee to the hand.

"Come on baby, don't do me in like this, JUST DIE FOR ME!" Benny shouted as tried in vain to finished off the Courier in a single blow. What Benny failed to realize, was that Six now held _both_ machetes, and swung them, aiming for both side's of Benny's neck, embedding themselves into the casino owner's neck. As he bled out on the dirt floor of the arena, Six decide to taunt Benny one last time. He crouched down near him and whispered, "The truth is Benny, the game was rigged from the start." Six repeated with a devilish grin.

Courier Six

The Courier arrived back at the place where one of the most confusing events, speaking to his own brain, occurred. Even though he still had the old buddy in his cranium, it always put a shiver down his spine. He walked into the Think Tank. He needed two things from the Old-World scientists. The first, was something Six had commissioned from the Think Tank a few weeks ago, which was a pulse rifle. The second was one that Six hoped they could create, and that was a second Big Mountain Transportalponder, or at the very least modify it so that two people could come to the installation instead of just one.

"AH! The lobotomite returns!" Dr. Boros shouted in excitement as he approached the Courier.

"Hello Dr. Boros, how have you been lately?" Six asked with a friendly smile.

"No time for small talk lobotomite! I have made a breakthrough in the pulse rifle you requested!" Dr. Boros said, leading him to his room.

"It just looks like a LEAR…" the Courier said, unimpressed.

"Use it and you will realize that it is in fact _not_ a LEAR!" Dr. Boros insisted. Six shrugged and picked up the weapon and fired it at the wall, a ring-like pulse emitted from the weapon.

"Not bad, not bad at all. I'm going to go outside for a field test after I go check up on Dr. Klein." Six said walking out of doctor Boros' room. He approached Dr. Klein and got his attention.

"Doctor Klein! I have a question for you." Six said.

"And what question might that be?" Dr. Klein asked.

"Would it be possible to modify the Big Mountain Transportalponder to transport two people instead of just one?" Six asked.

"Hm, interesting concept, but I'm afraid it would take a long time to even develop a prototype, not to mention the actual thing!" Dr. Klein said in astonishment.

"Gotcha, thanks for the answer doctor." Six said, walking towards the Sink. As he opened the door to his quarters he was greeted by the many personalities of the Sink.

"Do you have a-a-any mugs for me to clean?!" Muggy asked in desperation.

"I sure do Muggy, here you go." Six said with a chuckle, handing the robot ten dirty coffee mugs.

"Good to see you have returned master." The Sink Central Intelligence Unit greeted him.

"Got any injuries for me to treat?" The auto-doc asked with his military-like tone.

"Good to see you two, sorry doc, I'm not injured, not yet anyway." Six said with a nostalgic chuckle.

"How have your adventures in the Mojave treated you?" The Central intelligence unit asked.

"They've been… interesting. I even met a young lady." Six said, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Did you put you plant your seed into her?" The biological research station asked in his smooth tone.

"NO! NO!" Six said nervously shaking his head.

"Is the master going to get a bride worthy of his combat prowess?" The Central Intelligence Unit asked.

"Whoa guys, don't get ahead of yourselves!" Six said trying to change the subject of the conversation.

"Have you found any seditious materials for me to dispose of citizen?" The Book Chute asked the Courier.

"Yes, I do in fact." Six said, never so relieved to hear the voice of the book chute. Six rushed over to the book chute and deposited multiple books into the mouth of the book chute.

"Thank you, citizen, I will process this seditious material for you." The book chute said.

"I'm going outside, talk to you guys later." Six said heading out to the find some robots to test the pulse rifle on. After three hours of searching, he found a group of sentry-bots patrolling at a lower elevation than Six. He took aim and fired, the pulse hitting the sentry-bot, electricity arcing around its metal chassis. Then it went completely limp, the remaining two quickly finding the source of the pulse and began to fire at Six. He vaulted behind a large rock for cover.

He popped out from his cover, and fired two shots at one of the remaining sentry-bots, only to get greeted by a hailstorm of bullets, a few ripping through the Courier's side. Six began to reload the pulse rifle, when he noticed another fire option on the side of the rifle that read 'beam'. He flipped the switch and the next shot he fired was in the form of a solid beam that enveloped the final sentry-bot in a suit of electricity, blowing up the final target. He put the pulse rifle back into his inventory to keep it safe. He returned to the Sink with a shallow trail of blood following behind him.

"Auto-Doc, patch me up." Six said with a fatigued voice.

"Certainly!" The Auto-Doc said enthusiastically. Six closed his eyes as the auto-doc went to work. Once the operation was finished, he stepped out of the auto-doc, ready to say his goodbyes.

"Alright guys, I'll be gone for a long time again, so be patient." Six said heading for the door.

"We will always be waiting master." The Central Intelligence Unit said with his butler-like voice.

"Stay groovy." The Jukebox said with his jazzy tone.

"Next time you come around, make sure to bring the lady you mentioned to us back here." The Biological Research Station advised.

"Bring more dirty muggs!" Muggy demanded.

"Make sure to steer clear of seditious material Citizen!" The book chute advised.

"Alright guys, I'll keep that in mind." Six said with a laugh.

"Oh, and master, it would be nice to see a misses come along with you on your next visit." The Central Intelligence Unit requested.

"I'll definitely try." Six said before walking out of the Sink.

"I hope you do, master. I hope you do." The central intelligence unit said as the Courier left the Sink. The Courier pulled out the Transportalponder and fired. He was thrusted into the empty Mojave Drive in. He looked up and sighed.

"It's time to head back home." Six said out loud to no one in particular as he looked down at the pulse rifle. He stored it in the pip-boy and replaced it with his trusty katana and Maria.

He moved off into the Mojave wasteland, aiming his path back at the Lucky 38. Six looked down at his pip-boy and selected the radio tab. "Hm, this one should be playing some good tunes." Six said to himself as he selected Radio New Vegas and the song 'Blue Moon' by Frank Sonata.

"Bluuuue moooon! You saw me standing alone! Without a dream in my heart! Without a love of my own! Bluuuuue moooon!" Six sang along to the dark night sky as he walked towards home.

Adam Taurus

Adam was currently talking with Joshua about revenge. He had decided to approach the Burned Man.

"So, you mentioned that someone had helped you to not commit revenge?" Adam asked as he walked into the tent that was occupied by the Burned Man.

"I did." Joshua said, calmly interweaving his fingers together. "I believed him to be a messenger of god. For in the lord's text of Romans 12:19, 'Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of god for it is written, _vengeance is mine, I will repay_ , says the lord'." Joshua recited as he closed the bible he was reading.

Adam snickered at the quote by the Legate. "So, you guide your life by the words of a 'special' book? What a fool." Adam said confidently.

"You may think me a fool Adam Taurus, but the thing is, I do not let it guide me, but rather, I let it explain why the things in this world happen. To let anything but your need for survival guide you in this world would be a foolish decision that would likely lead to a short life." Joshua said with a chuckle.

"So even a religious human such as yourself has some common sense." Adam said to Joshua.

"Are you implying that the vast majority of those who follow religion lack common sense?" Joshua asked Adam.

"Yes, I am." Adam said concisely.

"Although I disagree with you, I do appreciate your honesty." Joshua said, handing Adam a Yaoi Guai steak. He devoured it, enjoying the cooked meat that was presented to him.

"Interesting way of thinking, human. Not many are like you, giving food to a fanus out of your own hand." Adam said, taking a bite from his food.

"Adam, I was wondering, how was your life in this other world you speak of?" Joshua asked.

"Terrible. The humans there didn't care for us fanus, so we decided to take our rights by force through a war. Even after that war, the humans refused to give us our rights. Most of the fanus didn't want to fight anymore, those were the weak ones. The ones that were ok with their mistreatment at the hands of humans. The rest of us decided that we still wanted our rights and began to fight for it, committing assassinations and stealing supplies for our revolution." Adam explained.

"Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, Timothy 2:4." Joshua said reading from his personal bible.

"What?" Adam asked a bit confused by the cryptic quote by the Burned Man.

"The truth of revolution will come to you, Adam." Joshua said as Adam finished his steak. Adam got up from his seated position and looked Joshua directly in the eyes.

"Do you honestly believe there is a peaceful solution to get rights?" Adam asked the Malpais Legate.

"Yes. While it would be the best path to take, it would be the longest too. And time here is a luxury." Joshua answered.

"Which path would you take?" Adam asked.

"Depends on when you would have asked me. If you would have asked me a few years ago I would have told you to be violent can take what was rightfully yours, but now I will tell to go the peaceful route." Joshua explained.

"One last question before I go. Was the desire to kill ever quenched?" Adam asked.

"I'm afraid not. It died down, but never left me." Joshua answered, waving Adam goodbye.

He walked back to Vulpes' location to get more information on their escape plans. He saw Vulpes laying down in same spot he was in the last time they talked.

"Adam…" Vulpes said, calling Adam over to him. "We leave tonight. I've managed to convince one of the tribals to release me. He was even gullible enough to supply us with weapons. While he prepares for our escape, you should get some sleep before we flee." Vulpes whispered to Adam. He nodded and headed over to a bed to rest for his escape.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia and Fizz were currently held up in an abandoned, rundown building just outside of Freeside. She began to worry about Fizz's injuries, not having enough medical knowledge to treat Fizz's wounds. She heard two men talking outside of the building. One had the voice of a man in his early sixties, while the other sounded to be around his late twenties.

"Elder, why do you insist on coming here? These lands are dangerous, far more dangerous than Navarro. We should head back to New Arroyo where you can live the remainder of your life in peace." The younger man pleaded with the older man.

"I told you Fen, I am no longer the elder of New Arroyo, I passed that responsibility down to the next in line. I have taught my daughter all I know. Do you lack faith in her ability to lead?" The older man said to Fen.

"No, I don't, but I'm worried for the tribe. And you didn't answer my question as to why you came here." Fen responded firmly.

"I came here because I wanted to explore the wastes just one more time before I pass from this earth." The old man said with a surprising tone of serenity.

"Sir! Please don't talk like that." Fen pleaded with the Elder.

"I'm sorry I worried you." The Elder said, getting closer to the door. Ilia began to panic, drawing her plasma pistol, her hand shaking with fear. As the door opened, Ilia began to slowly apply pressure to the trigger.

The door opened to find an old man in a blue jumpsuit which had the number thirteen on the back of it, and a young man with a tribal attire with tan pants and an ammo belt strapped around his chest. The old man was holding a hunting shotgun and the young man was holding a hunting rifle.

The old man saw Ilia and slowly put his shotgun on the ground and kicked it towards Ilia, then raising his hand in a show of peacefully intentions. The young man aimed at Ilia.

"Fen, put your weapon down." The elder ordered.

"I'm not leaving your life in the hands of random waster." Fen countered, taking aim at Ilia's head.

"Can't you see she's scared?" The elder reasoned.

"I'm not going to give up my weapon." Fen said continuing his aim at Ilia.

"You don't have to, just sling it on your back." The elder said. While the two men were talking amongst each other, Ilia was being pumped full of adrenaline, her instincts taking hold. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. He saw the elder approaching her.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Ilia shouted, her body shaking with fear and adrenaline.

"We mean you no harm." The elder said, coming closer to Ilia, keeping his hands up in the air.

"Fine, but if you try anything I'm going to turn you into a pile of goo!" Ilia shouted as the elder took a seat next to her.

"Would you mind if I treat your wound? If its not treated soon it might get infected." The elder said, pulling out a doctor's bag.

"Fine, but don't touch my partner." Ilia shot back. See saw the elder turn towards Fizz with a mixed look of fear and amazement.

"Ah. A wanamingo, it's been a long time since I've seen one of those." The elder said, taking out medical instruments and supplies. He began to treat her wound, first disinfecting the wound and sterilizing his instruments. He started to work, pouring some healing powder into the injured shoulder. Then he applied a stimpack to it, speeding up the healing process. Five minutes later, her wound was completely healed.

"So… you've encountered wanamingos before?" Ilia asked the elder.

"I have, and I notice your partner is injured." The elder responded as he put his instruments away.

"Would you be able to treat his wounds?" Ilia asked with a sliver of hope in her mind.

"I'm sure I could do something for him." The elder said, taking out a separate bag of medical tools. Ilia called Fizz over to her as she held him in her arms.

"Please be gentle with him." Ilia asked as the elder treated Fizz's injuries. After ten minutes, the operation was complete.

"There, all done." The elder said, putting his supplies away.

"So, elder, how exactly did you encounter wanamingos?" Ilia asked.

"I had to fight and kill them, after fighting them so much I began to study their anatomy." The elder explained. Ilia recoiled in shock, putting herself in between the elder and Fizz.

"Don't worry I have no intention of hurting your partner. I only want to help others before my time here is up." The elder said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Fine… I hear you talking outside about a place called New Arroyo, what is it?" Ilia asked the old man.

"It's our tribe and homeland." Fen cut in, walking over to the elder. "And the man who just saved you and your partner's life was its leader. You should be thankful." Fen said with venom in his voice.

"Fen, please, that's no way to talk to someone you do not know." The elder said with a heavy sigh.

"With all do respect sir, she was pointing a weapon at us not twenty minutes ago." Fen argued.

"But is she doing so now?" The elder countered.

"I see your point, but is still don't quite trust her." Fen said as he stood by the door. The elder looked back at Ilia with a sympathetic gaze.

"So, tell me young lady, what is your name?" The elder asked.

"Yours first." Ilia countered.

"Alright. I don't quite remember my name…" The elder said with a lighthearted laugh, nervously scratching the back of his head. "However, I could tell you my past title before elder, would that suffice?" The elder asked.

"It will." Ilia responded.

"My past title before being the elder was the Chosen One." The elder said. Ilia couldn't help but laugh. The chosen one? Was he the hero to save the village from a dragon or something?

"Is there something you find funny?" Fen snapped at Ilia.

"Fen, please. She is merely laughing, nothing more." The Chosen One said, calming Fen down. "I do believe you owe me you name." The Chosen One said.

"My name is Ilia Amitola." Ilia said wiping some tears of laughter from her face.

"Well Ilia, what are you doing in a place like this?" The Chosen One asked.

"I… I can't tell you that." Ilia said with her head held low. "I'm sorry…" Ilia said, feeling guilty for not answering the question from the man who had just saved her life as well as Fizz's.

"I understand, there are somethings that only a single person would understand." The Chosen one said. "Do you wish to join us?" He asked Ilia.

"R-really?" Ilia asked, a bit surprised by the question.

"Yes, really. We could always use another person in our group, as they say, there's safety in numbers." The Chosen one said, picking up his hunting shotgun and heading for the door with Fen.

"I'm sorry, I have some stuff I have to attend to…" Ilia said, a bit guilty for not joining them. "Good luck out there." Ilia said as they departed from the building. Ilia waited a few minutes until she thought they were gone.

"Come on Fizz, let's go." Ilia said as she got up. She fed Fizz some gecko meat, which he devoured instantaneously. Fizz had grown to half her height ever since she had taken him in. it was nice to know Fizz was growing, adding an intimidation factor to her and her partner. They walked out to find a caravan walking past her. One of the guard approached her and handed her a bottle of purified water.

"Here, you look thirsty." The guard said with a smile.

"Thanks…" Ilia said, not knowing how to respond.

"Don't mention it, stay safe out here!" The guard said before joining the rest of the caravan.

Ilia watched as they passed her. Ilia had to think of a way to get to Arcade Gannon, however, she was officially vilified by the followers of the apocalypse. It wouldn't be easy to find out where he was. As she stood there, a man decked out in metal armor, holding a super sledge, charged at her. He swung at her, slamming into her legs, immobilizing her. Then he hit her on the head with the pommel of the super sledge. Her vision began to fade as she saw Fizz fighting off the attacker. The man struck Fizz in the chest with the super sledge, not injuring the adolescent wanamingo, but sending him flying back from the power of the swing. He slowly approached her, raising the enhanced sledgehammer over his head, readying the finishing blow, before a loud bang was heard and the man fell to the ground.

A large bullet hole wound in the side of his head could be seen. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was brown combat boots.

Cinder Fall

Cinder was enjoying a milkshake from the mini-restaurant in the presidential suite when she heard Cass enter the restaurant. Cinder was sitting in a booth with a table in front of her when Cass slid next to her.

"Whatcha having Cinder?" Cass asked as she ordered a root beer float.

"Vanilla milkshake." Cinder said, taking a sip from the cold drink.

"It's kinda nice, living here that is." Cass explained as her root beer float was given to her by a waiter variant of a protectron. "I remember what Six called this place when he brought me here for the first time, 'an Old-World relic'. Even the food served here is from the Old World." Cass explained.

"Interesting…" Cinder said, finishing her shake. As she got up from her seat in the booth, the four inhabitants of Remnant arrived in the doorway. Yang and Blake stood next to the doorway as Winter and Weiss approached Cinder with weapon in hand. "What brings you he-" Cinder said until Winter held her saber up to Cinder's throat.

"You are going to pay for the pain that you have caused." Winter said as Weiss flanked Cinder's left side, holding up her plasma defender to Cinder's head.

Cinder's heart began to pound furiously in her chest as adrenaline began to course through her veins.

"Hey now, there's no need to resort to violence!" Cass said, getting up from her seat in defense of Cinder. Winter and Weiss faced Cass, giving Cinder a chance to draw That Gun. She pointed it at Winter's head, her trigger finger beginning to twitch.

"I believe the time for talking is well past the point of no return!" Winter shouted. "She killed _hundreds_ of innocent people! And for what?! So that she could become more powerful?!" Winter shouted with venom in her voice.

"That still doesn't give you the right to kill her." Cass said with a cold tone, narrowing her gaze and drawing her riot shotgun. "Release her _now!_ " Cass shouted, aiming the riot shotgun at the two sisters.

"Why are you defending her?!" Weiss shouted in rage.

"The Courier has taken a liking to her, for one reason or another, and as a guardian to another, I think it's only fair that we stick together." Cass reasoned.

"So just because she's the Courier's favorite she gets to join his _fucking fan club_?!" Weiss screeched in anger.

"Watch your tongue, _girl_." Boone said as he and Arcade entered the restaurant only to be blocked by Yang and Blake.

"Don't go any closer or else we'll be forced to fight you." Yang warned Boone who was holding a scoped hunting rifle in his hands and a combat knife in his tucked into its sheath which was strapped on his chest.

"Weiss! Stop this now! You don't want to incur the Courier's wrath!" Arcade shouted, trying to get Weiss away from the situation she was in.

"No Arcade, this needs to be done." Weiss said with a stern retort.

"You don't know the hole you're digging, if Six walks into this and sees you four doing _this_ , he will not be pleased. Please, walk away from this, I'll explain everything to Six, I'm sure he'll understand your reasoning." Arcade tried to convince her.

Just then, Cinder thrusted herself backwards, but not before Winter summoned her second, smaller saber and stabbed it into Cinder's leg. She grimaced in pain as the blade slid into her upper leg. She took cover from Weiss and Winter behind the bar counter in the restaurant with Cass. She loaded some bean-bag rounds into her riot shotgun and readied for combat.

"STOP THIS NOW!" Arcade shouted in concern. However, neither of the Schnee sisters took his warning. He looked to Yang and Blake with a pleading look on his face. "Please you have to talk some sense into them." Arcade begged as Cass fired at Winter who dodged to the side to avoid the non-lethal projectile.

As Cinder began to pull out the small blade, she squeaked in pain, quickly applying med-x and a stimpack to the wound. Once the wound was healed, she pulled out That Gun and loaded armor piercing rounds.

"Winter! Stop this now!" Boone shouted, aiming for her weapon arm.

"Boone, you of all people should be siding with me, not against me!" Winter shot back.

"This is _not_ how you do this! Make an appeal to Six! He will hear reason!" Boone countered.

"You saw how he took the criticism from my sister! He didn't even consider it! There is only one solution to this problem, and that is _death_!" Winter shouted back, charging for the bar, only to be shot in the arm, the round ripping through her cloth apparel. She screamed in pain as blood began to drip from her wound.

Yang lunged forward, grabbing his rifle with her prosthetic arm and crushed the receiver of the hunting rifle. He took out his combat knife and took a swipe at Yang who blocked it with her mechanical arm. Blake confronted Arcade with Li'l Devil loaded and pointed at Arcade.

"Blake, was it? Look, you're making a mistake, please, you can talk some sense into Weiss." Arcade said, trying to convince her to back out of this situation and hopefully get Weiss out of it too.

"Stand back." Blake commanded, taking aim at Arcade's chest. He lunged forward, snatching the pistol out of Blake's hands, elbowing her in the face, making her stumble back a few steps.

Arcade threw the pistol into the hallway of the presidential suite, then putting Blake in a headlock.

"I got this one, how about you Boone?" Arcade asked, keeping the cat faunus in the solid headlock.

"Working on it." Boone said as he ducked to avoid an oncoming strike from the Blonde huntress. He delivered a solid kick to her side, which she quickly recovered from. Yang sent another volley of punches in Boone's direction. He took a lunge, sliding under Yang's waist, then putting the serrated weapon to her throat.

A look of worry was painted on her face as she realized that even if she swung at the ex-NCR sniper, she would be dead. He surpassed her in both combat prowess and speed.

"Just give up, I don't want to have to kill a girl." Boone said as Yang nodded, walking back to her room.

Meanwhile, Weiss and Winter were engaged in a close-quarters shoot out. Cinder and Cass hid behind the restaurant bar as Winter and Weiss were behind an overturned table.

"Winter, I have an idea, and it might help us to win this battle and teach Cinder a lesson." Weiss said with confidence.

"Weiss, I appreciate your help, but Cinder Fall is not leaving this restaurant alive." Winter said looking at Weiss with a serious look.

"Sister, you can't mean-" Weiss asked in surprise.

"I do. She has killed hundreds through her actions, it's only right that she meets the same fate as her victim's." Winter said with absolution. "So, what is this plan of yours sister?" Winter asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well…" Weiss started, a bit hesitant to actually kill Cinder. "I thought that I could be the distraction and you could charge their encampment, taking them by surprise." Weiss explained. "I'm going to pop out on three." Weiss said, loading her plasma defender. "One…" Weiss whispered. "Two…" She continued, taking aim from behind cover. "THREE!" She shouted, sending a stream of suppressive fire at Cinder's encampment.

Winter dashed forward. Before she could reach the bar, the riot shotgun popped out from cover, spraying bean-bag rounds in Winter's direction. Two rounds hit her in the side, slowing her advance. She kept her charge and finally reached the bar, crouching on it and readying to saber for a killing blow on the fall maiden. She swept at Cinder, only for her saber to be stopped mid swing by a hand which held its blade.

As Winter turned her head, a sense of horror and dread swept over her as she turned to face the Courier. He had a look of unending rage and anger on his face as he grabbed Winter by the neck and held her up, her feet leaving the ground.

"Sister!" Weiss shouted in concern.

"What. Are. You. Doing. To. Cinder." Six asked, holding back his rage as the hand that held Winter captive began to twitch.

"We were just-" Weiss tried to lie but was interrupted by Six.

"DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME!" Six spat in rage, his grip around Winter's neck tightening.

"Kill… her." Winter managed to choke out.

"YOU TRIED TO DO WHAT!?" Six shouted in rage, throwing Winter against the shelves of alcohol, broken glass stabbing into her back. The Courier slowly approached Winter leveling his eyes to hers. She looked deep into his beautiful caramel eyes, however their beauty were eclipsed by the monstrous glare that Six was giving her.

"If you _ever_ come after Cinder Fall again, I will personally see to it, that you are crucified and burned alive, am I understood?" Six asked sternly boring into Winter's eyes.

Winter however was a Military soldier and no matter what she was not going to back down. "No" She said simply

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Six said Kicking her in the face. Winter however took it in stride.

"I SAID NO. You have no idea what she has done nor what she is capable of. She has done things horrible things and I swear on my life that I will KILL her for it." Winter said with absolution.

Six simply knocked her out with kick.

Weiss was going to say something but she was also knocked out by arcade. "Sorry kiddo but this is for your own good." he said holding her carefully in his arms.

"You got the others?" Six's companions nodded

"Good." Six said, getting up from his crouched position and walking over to Cass and Cinder. "Cass, thank you so much for looking out for Cinder." Six said, no trace of his previous angry demeanor present, and instead his voice was that of a caring mother.

"No problem, Six." Cass said with a friendly salute. Next Six moved over to Cinder who had a look of childlike fear on her face. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"You wanna go back to the room?" Six asked his partner. Cinder slowly nodded as she got up and followed Six to their room. The second both of them were in the room, Six locked the door and ran over to Cinder.

He fired a barrage of questions at her in worry. Instead of answer them, she just broke down. The dam that kept her in her calm, composed state finally burst, all of her pent-up emotions coming out in full force. She just stood there, looking at Six and crying. As she began to cry, Six realized what was happening and held her in a warm hug, letting her burrow her head in his chest.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you, I'm here." Six reassured her. He slowly lead her to the bed where she continued to cry into Six's chest. He held her in his arms, wanting to help her to feel safe. He rested his head on top of hers as he apologized to her.

"I'm so sorry I left you here alone." Six whispered to her as he too began to cry.

Her crying began to die down, sniffles replacing her crying. "It's ok Six, just promise me the next time you leave, I can come with." Cinder answered in-between her sniffles.

"Sure." Six whispered as his eyes began to flutter from his lack of sleep.

"May I sleep with you tonight? I –I don't feel safe sleeping in my bed." Cinder asked, receiving a nod of affirmation from Six. "Thank you…" Cinder said as her and Six got into bed, both of them equipping their set of sexy sleepwear, Cinder falling asleep within Six's arms.

"You're safe with me, Cinder." Six whispered into her ear as he began to fall asleep.

And That's that!


	11. Knowledge of the Past

Thanks to commanderpill and enjoy the chapter!

Ilia Amitola

Ilia awoke to the sound of a crackling fire and heat from the same fire warming her face. Her eyes shot open to see a man wearing an army helmet and gas mask hybrid. The eye slots were tinted red and he wore an armored trench coat. He had a combat knife sheathed in its cover on his chest. He also had a large scoped rifle slung on his back along with a revolver holstered on his side. She felt Fizz lick her face with joy.

"Who are you?" She asked, palming her plasma pistol.

"…" He gave no response.

"Who. Are. You?" Ilia asked again, this time more sternly.

"…" Again he gave no response, this time shaking his head.

"You won't talk?" Ilia asked.

"…" He shook his head again.

"You can't talk?" Ilia asked, gaining a nod from the man.

"Why can't you speak?" Ilia asked, only to receive a shrug from the man.

"So… why did you save me?" Ilia asked.

"…" The man shrugged once more, poking the fire with a stick that rested next to him. The man walked over to Ilia and handed her a bottle of sunset sarsaparilla. She took it and drank the oddly flavored beverage.

"Thanks…" Ilia said, receiving a thumbs up from the man.

"Which faction are you apart of?" Ilia asked, unable to see any faction markings on the man's apparel from the light of the fire. The man crouched next to her and spelled out his faction in the sand.

"NCR Rangers?" Ilia asked, to which the man nodded. "Where is the rest of your squad?" Ilia asked. She had read about how the NCR military patrols would travel with one ranger, and three standard troopers.

"Dead, left rangers after that." The ranger wrote in the sand.

"Wow, you must have had some _major_ gripes with the NCR to leave, you being a ranger and all." Ilia said, the Ranger nodding. "What's your name?" Ilia asked.

"Sebastian." The ranger wrote in the sand.

"Alright, Sebastian, why did you leave the rangers?" Ilia asked.

"Friends, dead, squad, dead. No more ties, don't like death." Sebastian wrote out in the sand at Ilia's feet.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Ilia said with her head held low.

"Don't be, wasn't your fault, no need for guilt." Sebastian wrote in the sand.

"Thanks Sebastian." Ilia said. "So, is the reason why you saved me was to not let me die?" Ilia asked, Sebastian giving a nod.

Suddenly, in the distance, multiple howls could be heard. Sebastian shot up from his crouched position, scanning into the dark expanse of the Mojave night.

He quickly crouched down and wrote 'coyotes' at Ilia's feet. Fizz began to snarl in the direction of the howls. Ilia grabbed her whip and plasma pistol, preparing for combat. Then, a growl that was louder then Fizz's snarl and the coyotes' howls was heard.

"What was that?" Ilia whispered.

"Deathclaw." Sebastian wrote in the sand, grabbing his large rifle from its sling and loaded it with a magazine marked with two diagonal red slashes on it. He loaded the magazine into the large rifle and aimed down the scope. The sounds of large footsteps began to approach the group of three, the thumping of the deathclaws feet getting closer and closer.

Even with her enhanced Fanus eyesight, she could make out little to nothing in the pure darkness of the night. Then, without any prior warning, Sebastian fired, hitting the deathclaw in the leg, its entire body lighting on fire, illuminating the target. Ilia just stood there, paralyzed with fear.

The deathclaw was at least twelve feet tall, with enormous horns and long, sharp claws. It was a true monstrosity that even the most horrifying grimm could not compare to. Sebastian ran up to her and started to shake her, trying to get her to move from her current position.

Ilia snapped out of her fear-induced paralysis and dove out of the way from a swipe of the deathclaw. She fired three shots at the abdomen of the deathclaw. She looked over to Sebastian who was pointing at his legs.

"Legs? You want me to aim for the legs?" Ilia asked to which Sebastian nodded as he fired another round at the same leg of the deathclaw. Ilia began to aim for the other leg, firing plasma rounds at the leg. After a few magazine's worth of damage to the legs of the deathclaw, it stopped its swift advance and began to slowly advance to their position.

Next, Sebastian began to point to his head, Ilia understanding his meaning. She cracked her whip, striking the deathclaw in the side of the neck, some blood pouring out of the wound. The deathclaw roared with anger as its swipes began to get more rapid and feral, not rhyme or reason to them.

Sebastian fired another shot at the deathclaw, striking its head, blood and brains exploding from the force of the round. The deathclaws limp body fell to the ground, a large thud could be heard. Both Ilia and Sebastian took a seat only to be greeted by ten growling coyotes encircling their encampment.

Fizz ran up to them, slamming his tendrils into their bodies one by one. The pack alpha lunged towards him, only to be caught by Fizz's mouth, his jaw grinding up the pack alpha's bones within his mouth. The remainder of the pack began to back away from the adolescent wanamingo.

Fizz hopped down next to Ilia and rested at her feet, enjoying the warmth of the fire. Sebastian took off his gloves and started to warm his hands at the fire. As he was doing so, Ilia stared at his hands, many scars and burn marks covering them.

"Your hands, what happened to them?" Ilia asked as the ranger put his gloves back on his hands. Sebastian shook his head, refusing to write down the answer in the sand.

"Get some sleep." Sebastian wrote into the sand. Ilia nodded and laid down into the sleeping bag that she woke up in. She quickly fell asleep, waking up hours later to the sound of Sebastian shaking her violently.

"Uuugh. Sebastian, what is it?" Ilia groaned as she stretched her arms, yawning as she got out of the sleeping bag.

"Legion patrol, two men, big guns. Need to go, NOW." He quickly wrote in the sand, his head darting around in a panicked state.

Now Ilia was a bit worried a bit. She had never seen him this distraught. Granted, she had never seen his face, so the only thing she could use to decipher his emotions was his body language.

Just as Sebastian said, two men wearing red clothing began to arrive at the top of a sand dune. One of them pointed his weapon towards her. The ranger grabbed Ilia by the waist and ran, lifting her off of the ground and carrying her bridal style to the nearest piece of cover with Fizz following close behind.

"Come back here profligates!" One of the Legionaries shouted.

"Hey! Let me down!" Ilia shouted, but not getting a response from the mute ranger as he continued to run towards the one safe place he knew, the NCR Safehouse. As the shouts and taunts of the legionaries began to die down, Sebastian began to slow down, eventually letting Ilia down on her feet.

"Thank you." Ilia said with a huff. "Where did you take us, anyway?" Ilia asked Sebastian, who led her to a cave entrance closed by a door made up of wood and chain linked fencing.

"Safe house. Safe here, come in." Sebastian wrote in the sand at Ilia's feet. She nodded and followed the ranger inside. There were multiple cots and weapons spread across the safe house. There was a chalk board with at least ten pieces of chalk.

"Where are the other NCR troopers? Shouldn't they be here?" Ilia asked. Sebastian walked up to the chalk board and began to write.

"After 2nd battle of hoover dam, NCR left Mojave from defeat. Only trading post remains in NCR hands. Mojave better that way." Sebastian wrote on the chalkboard.

"Were you born here? In the Mojave?" Ilia asked, the ranger nodding in response.

"So, this place is ours now?" Ilia asked.

"So, long as we stay here." Sebastian wrote. He motioned towards some NCR Ranger Patrol armor.

"You think I should wear it?" Ilia asked as Sebastian nodded enthusiastically. "Ok… I'll go put it on." Ilia said, taking the armor. "And don't look at me while I change!" Ilia shouted in embarrassment at Sebastian, only to find him resting on a cot in the opposite side of the room. She could hear his peaceful breaths as he rested on the bed. Once she was done putting on the armor, she looked at herself in the mirror. It looked nice on her, and it was surprisingly light. She took a seat on a cot just next to Sebastian, watching him sleep.

'Maybe humans aren't so bad.' Ilia thought as she looked back on the past few days. First, The Chosen One had healed both her and Fizz, then the caravan guard gave her water, and now Sebastian came to her rescue after that guy in the metal armor attacked her.

'Maybe Blake was right…' Ilia pondered, rubbing her chin. She decided to take a look at Sebastian's face. she slowly walked over to his cot and lightly took hold of his helmet. She slowly slipped it off, making sure not to wake the sleeping ranger. Once it was off of his head she placed the helmet next to his bed on the floor. She slowly moved a pillow under his head, giving him something soft to rest his head on. Once she had rested his head on the pillow, she took a look at it. He had short, blonde hair, a warm smile painted on his face as he shifted in his sleep.

"Sleep tight, Sebastian. Sleep tight." Ilia said like a mother tucking in her now resting child into bed.

Cinder Fall

Cinder awoke to an alarm clock going off. She scanned the room she was in, having only a faint memory of what happened before she went to sleep the day before. She realized that she was laying on top of Six, who was fast asleep. She also realized that his duster was quite damp. She rose from the bed, her hair messily going in all directions.

Then, as she equipped her armored duster, everything from last night began to come back to her, the confrontation, the rescue, the crying, and the comfort. She looked over her shoulder at Six, who was starting to wake up.

"Hmmmm." Six mumbled as he rose from his bed, equipping his duster and authority glasses. Six combed his hair with his fingers, gliding them down his long head of hair. "You doing alright Cinder?" Six asked, looking up at her.

She smiled and walked up to him, giving him a peck on the forehead. "I'm doing a lot better then last night." Cinder replied.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better." Six said, rustling her hair, getting up from the bed. He put on his boots and put on his rattan cowboy hat. Cinder followed suit, putting on her breathing mask, authority glasses, boots, gloves, and her rattan cowboy hat.

"You know, we should have something on our hats so that we know who's is who's." Six said, leading Cinder out of the room for breakfast.

"Hey you two!" Cass greeted the two partners, joining them in the restaurant. "How did y'all sleep?" Cass asked.

"We slept…" Six said, not knowing how to respond to the simple question, instead nervously rubbing the back of his head accompanied by a nervous laugh.

"Together." Cinder finished. Cass gasped overenthusiastically, clearly as an attempt a non-verbal sarcasm. She lightly jabbed at Cinder's side with a perverted look on her face.

"How was it?" Cass asked the newest member of the Guardians.

"I slept quite well." Cinder responded, knowing what she was hinting at, but not wishing to humor her.

"Not _that_! How was the sex?" Cass whispered to her with a snicker.

"Oh, the sex?" Cinder asked loud enough for Six to hear her.

"Yea! How was it?" Cass asked, dying to hear how Six was in bed. Cinder decided to tease her just a little bit.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked.

"YES!" Cass shouted, loud enough for everyone in the presidential suits to hear her.

"We didn't have sex." Cinder answered with an amused smirk on her face.

"Yea Cass." Six said, butting into the conversation. "And isn't it rude to ask about things like that? I never asked you about your sexual escapades, did I?" Six asked with the same amused smirk.

"You're right, but that won't stop me from asking in the future!" Cass said with a snicker as she took a seat at one of the booths. Cinder and Six took a seat as well, Cinder sitting in the booth and Six taking a chair. The waiter came around and took their orders, and walked over to the kitchen.

"Any reports from the NCR Mojave Outpost?" Six asked as Cass handed him some documents in a manila folder. He opened it up, a shocked expression growing on his face. Cass's usually cheery demeanor changed into a serious one as Six continued to scan the content of the documents.

"What do you think?" Cass asked the Courier, who handed her back to the documents.

"It's certainly… concerning. If those documents are true, then New Vegas is in trouble." Six said with a look of concern and worry on his face.

"My source tells me they are as authentic as can be." Cass responded, taking the documents from the table.

"Well… fuck." Six said as the food and drinks the three of them ordered arrived. As they ate their breakfast, Six got Cinder's attention.

"Hey Cinder, have you ever heard of chemical weaponry?" Six asked out of the blue.

"I can't say I have. Would you mind enlightening me on the subject?" Cinder asked.

"Gladly. Before the Great War, there were two previous wars that engulfed the world. The first one, coincidentally also called 'The Great War', used certain chemical compounds as weapons in that war. To combat these new types of weapons, they had to create gas masks similar to one you wear." Six explained.

"So, what's so dangerous about these chemical weapons?" Cinder asked as she took a sip of coffee.

"Chemical weapons usually take a gas form, meaning it can spread across a large area in a short amount of time. And if that wasn't enough, they can also kill you from the inside out. The most used chemical weapon, mustard gas, burns the inside of your lungs, slowly suffocating its victims with excruciating pain." Six continued.

"So, am I to assume that the NCR have managed to scavenge some chemical weapons from the first great war?" Cinder asked.

"Close, but not quite. They aren't scavenging chemical weapons, they're _making_ them." Cass said with a look of concern on her face.

"Hey Six!" the greeting of Veronica graced Six's ears.

"Hello Veronica, how have you and Yang been?" Six asked, giving the two young woman a warm smile.

"We've been… alright." Veronica said, eyeing Yang. She looked over to Cinder. "Are _you_ ok?" Veronica asked the fall maiden.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." Cinder said with appreciation.

"I'm sorry for the actions of my pupil." Veronica apologized, before leading Yang to an unoccupied table.

Raul and Blake walked into restaurant, Blake taking a seat next to Yang and Raul next to Veronica.

"I'm NOT apologizing!" Weiss shouted from the hallway.

"Weiss, you _have to_ apologize to her! You threatened her, tried to physically assault her, then refused to stop your sister when she told you she was planning on _killing_ her. The _least_ you owe that girl is an apology!" Arcade shouted back at her.

"I'm not apologizing!" She shouted as her and Arcade walked into the restaurant. Everyone looked at her as she stopped in her tracks. Only one person's stare stuck to her, and that was the glare coming from Courier Six.

His glare was unlike any she had encountered before. On the surface, he appeared to be calm and collected, but just beneath that calm appearance, was a raging beast just waiting to be let loose. It was more malicious then the glares she got from the fanus she encountered once she introduced herself, but it was oddly calming, maybe a way to let the targets of his glare to let their guard down? It confused Weiss more than anything. But the most intimidating part of this special glare of his was just how he refused to emote. Not a single sign of emotion, just a blank glare, like a tiger waiting for the right time to strike its prey.

"Care to say that to tell me why you won't apologize to my partner?" Six asked, getting up from his seat and calmly walking up to her, giving her only a centimeter between their bodies, refusing to give her any personal space. His towering figure shedding the calm exterior mask, replacing it with a face of pure rage. His eyes squinted, his nose crinkled up and a malicious grin on his face.

No wonder he was called the Angel of Death by some, he looked as if he was ready to kill her at any moment.

"B-because s-she killed h-hundreds o-of people." Weiss choked out in fear.

"Do you know how many people _I've_ killed?" Six asked, the grin growing. Weiss shook her head with fear.

"Thousands." Six said before sitting back down in his seat, no trace of his mask of malicious intent left to be found.

She just stood there, paralyzed with fear. 'This man has killed thousands of people and LIVED?!' Weiss thought, panic spreading through her mind.

"Now do you see why you should apologize?" Arcade whispered into Weiss' ear. She nodded and took a seat at an unoccupied table. It didn't help that he refused to acknowledge her after his approach.

"Hey, Arcade, how exactly did Courier Six get the moniker 'The Angel of Death'?" Weiss whispered to her mentor.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Arcade whispered back with a concerned look on his face. She nodded her head. Arcade sighed and began to ready himself for one of the scariest stories about the Courier.

"It was about six or seven months ago, and the Courier was delivering a very important package to this very place to its original owner, Robert House. While staying in Goodsprings, he was kidnapped and bound by the hands and feet. He was shot in the head… twice." Arcade said as he ordered a cup of milk.

"You mean he was shot in the head _twice_ and lived to tell the tale?!" Weiss asked in disbelief.

"Point blank might I add. But that's beside the point, when the Courier got back on his feet, he tracked down those men who had done that to him. When their bodies were found, those who had crossed him…" Arcade said, nearly gagging from remembering the absolute savagery of Six's action.

"Their bodies were unrecognizable. You probably wouldn't even be able to recognize them as _humans_ more or less their individual identities. If you _ever_ , meet Six on the battlefield, I only have one thing to say to you." Arcade said, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"What's that?" Weiss asked.

"I hope that you aren't on his bad side when you do, because if you aren't he'll grant you a quick death." Arcade said.

"And if I am?" Weiss asked the doctor.

"God, help you." He said with a mortified look on his face. Arcade's last statement a shiver down the young Schnee's spine.

Boone and Winter walked in without a word. She had bandages wrapped around her torso and around her face. She took a seat without a word at the table with Weiss and Arcade.

"Hey Boone…" Six shouted from his table. "Any new reports from Novac?" Six asked, not even acknowledging Winter.

"Yea." Boone said getting up from his seat, only for Winter to grab onto his sleeve tightly, preventing him from moving from the table. He put his hand over hers and looked her in the eyes. "It'll only be a few seconds, then I'll be right back, ok?" Boone said with a surprisingly kind tone that was familiar to the Courier. She let go and Boone walked over, handed Six a manila folder and took a seat next to Winter.

Everyone except for Winter watched as Six opened the folder. He scanned the reports and placed them back in the folder, walked up to Boone and handed him the folder.

As Winter watched the Courier walked back to his table. She watched him from the corner of her eye for the rest of the time he was in the restaurant. The rest of the morning was uneventful. They finished their breakfast, went back to their respective rooms and spoke amongst each other.

"Six." Cinder said, getting the Courier's attention. "I want to tell you something." Cinder said, waving him towards her. She sat on the bed, patting a space next her, Six sat there and asked his partner.

"What do you need to tell me?" Six asked, taking off his glasses. And placing them next to Cinder's breathing mask and glasses.

"I felt I should tell you a little bit about myself, since you trusted me with your past, I thought I should tell you about mine." Cinder said.

"Alright." Six said, motioning for her to start.

"Well, before I begin I thought I should let you know something. Before I arrived here, I was under the employ of woman by the name of Salem. Before I was under her wing I had a family like any normal child. A mother and a father. They were nice people, they cared for me and wanted the best for me, or so I thought. All a girl could ever ask for… however, there was a dark side of their lives that I was not privy to. They were drug dealers. I wouldn't learn this until I was eleven years old." Cinder said, taking a large, heavy sigh.

"It was about ten at night and my parents forgot to hire a babysitter for me that night. I decided to find out what they did at night. Honestly, I wish I had just stayed at home that night. I followed them by hiding in the trunk of their car. It was a twelve minute drive from our house in the suburbs. When they arrived and were away from the car, I popped out of the trunk. I managed to ghost them all the way to the dealing spot. The spot was a deserted alley with just a single light illuminating the middle of the alley. I watched as my parents approached three men in clean, white suits. Two of them had pistols that they were holding, while the man in the middle held a large, blue great sword." Cinder said with a face as cold as stone.

"When my parents approached, they were immediately gunned down by the two guys on the side. The man in the middle stabbed his sword through my parents' faces. I ducked into a doorway as the men walked to my parents' car. As they passed, I could hear the man in the middle talking to his goons. He said, and I quote 'Kill anyone in their house, then burn it down, leave nothing alive or intact'. I hid in that doorway until the sun rose the next morning. I ran back to my house, I never ran faster in my life. Once I reached my house, the only thing that remained were cinders in the fireplace and the fireplace itself. I just sat there and cried. That would be the last time promised I would cry. As you know I broke that promise to myself last night, but that's besides the point. The men who burned my house down weren't gone. They were waiting to see in anyone would arrive back at the house. They had seen me run to the house but decided to wait a while. As I completed my sobbing, the two men approached me with their weapon drawn." Cinder said as looked at Six.

"One of them grabbed me by the neck and looked me over before throwing me to the ground. The other one tied me up and threw me into the trunk of their car. The next few days went by really fast. The things those men put me through…" Cinder visibly shook just remembering those times in her life.

"For the next three years, I would be passed from brothel to brothel as a whore. The things that happened to me… I-I just can't…" Cinder was surprised when Six embraced her in a comforting hug.

"You don't have say any more then you are comfortable with. I understand." Six said as he released her from the embrace, allowing for Cinder to continue.

"On my fourteenth birthday, a large, burly man came in and asked if he could buy me from my pimp. He got really pissed at the question and tried to kill the man. The large man broke my pimp's arm before he could get his gun out of its holster. Then he took my pimp's pistol and gunned down his guards. Once the fighting ceased, he approached me and asked if I wanted to live in a proper home. He never pressured me, just asked. I accepted and as I later learned, he was one of Salem's subordinates by the name of Hazel. When I met up with Salem she asked me what I would do to this world if I was its ruler. Considering all the things that I had gone through, I said destroy it. The only part of my life that I cherished was when I had my parents, but they were dead, and not even ruling my world could bring them back." Cinder said with anger and hatred of her old world.

"So, I joined Salem, and what they say, that what I did caused hundreds to die, it's true. Knowing this, do you still wish to have me as your partner, or even as a Guardian?" Cinder asked seriously, looking into Six's caramel colored eyes.

Six gave off a heavy sigh and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Cinder, you are my partner, nothing from the past, present or future will _ever_ change that." Six said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her head, holding it to his chest. "You can't change the past, but you can make up for it. whether you wish to do that is entirely up to you." Six said.

"Every action has consequences. As the saying goes, you can please some of the people some of the time, you can please most of the people most of the time, but you can't please all of the people all the time. What I'm trying to say is that there will always be people who hate you, god knows that's the case for me." Six chuckled.

'Should I say it? Would I be rushing it?' Six thought as Cinder moved her head from his chest to look up at him.

'Pyrrha, do you think he… likes me?' Cinder asked.

'Just look at his face, of course he loves you!' Pyrrha said with excitement.

'Do you think I could ever be loved?' Cinder asked.

'Well, there's only one way to find out.' Pyrrha said, trying to get Cinder to admit her true feelings for Courier Six.

"Hey Cinder?" Six asked as his eyes stared into Cinder's amber eyes.

"Yea?" She asked, hoping that Six would be the one to break the tension.

"Have you ever been in love?" Six asked.

"Familial love or love for a significant other?" Cinder questioned.

"Significant other." Six answered.

"No. Although I had to put on a convincing façade for the customers in the brothel, I never had a crush or infatuation with a man." Cinder replied.

"Oh." Six said, a bit disappointed.

"Why do you ask?" Cinder asked.

"Because I'm in love with you." Six said with a sigh. "But if you don't return the feelings then-" Six was interrupted by Cinder's lips coming in contact with his own. The two of them were embroiled in a passionate battle of dominance between the Fall Maiden and the Sixth Courier. The two of them continued the kiss for five minutes until they were both exhausted.

"It's nice to know…" Six said in-between pants. "That you return the feelings." Six said, lying on the bed.

"I was just glad you had the balls to say it." Cinder said with her trademark confidence.

"So, does this mean we're a 'thing'?" Six asked.

"You mean in a relationship? I assume this makes it official, yes." Cinder replied.

"I'm going to sleep for the rest of the day." Six said, covering himself with his blankets.

"I think I'll do the same. You got some extra room?" Cinder asked as she moved her breathing mask and their glasses to the nightstand next to their bed.

"Yea." Six said, lifting the blankets for Cinder who got in. The new couple sleeping the rest of their afternoon away.

Adam Taurus

"Alright, Adam, the tribal should be here any moment now." Vulpes said as a figure emerged from the shadows. He had long, red hair held together in a long ponytail. He was wearing three ammo belts which held shotgun shells. He was holding a hunting shotgun as he approached the two Legionaries.

"Ave, you are Adam of the Taurus clan?" The tribal asked.

"I am, human. Are you our guide?" Adam asked.

"I am, follow me." The tribal said as he untied Vulpes. "I have managed to grab your weapons while the guards slept." The guide said, handing Adam Wilt and Blush which Adam snatched from the hands of the guide.

"Let's go then." Adam said with a stern and irritated voice. The guide leaned down and whispered to Vulpes.

"He isn't the friendliest sort, eye?" The guide asked Vulpes to which he chuckled.

"Not at first, but after a while, he can start to be manageable." Vulpes said as Adam began to advance out of the canyon.

"You are going to the opposite way!" The guide shouted as Adam grunted with anger, following the tribal.

"So, tell me tribal, why are you doing this for us?" Vulpes asked.

"I've heard tales of the Legion. I want to join you. I want to become a hero of war, and I thought the Legion was my best bet." The guide said as he led them through the giant cave system that reached under the canyon.

"So, are you the only one privy to this cave system?" Vulpes asked, thinking about using these caves to strike a crippling blow to the Zion Confederation.

"No, Joshua knows about it too, but not many more." Their guide said as he led them through the expansive cave system. As they walked, Adam thought back to Joshua, wondering if he would ever see him again. He put the thought in the back of his mind as they started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The closer they got to the entrance the brighter the light became, as the entrance began to enlarge, multiple figures wearing red clothing could be seen.

The three of them ducked behind a turn in the cavern so as not to be seen by the unknown figures.

"I haven't seen those type of men around here before." The guide said, loading his shotgun.

"There's a chance they are Legion, but I can only make that assumption based on the coloration of their clothing. I'd need more information to go on if I want to make an accurate judgement." Vulpes said, pulling out a pair of binoculars.

"I could go up to them and ask them who they." The guide suggested, much to the surprise of both Adam and Vulpes.

"If you wish to you may, but they could be impersonators, or simply wastelanders who have managed to kill some legionaries and take their armor." Vulpes reasoned.

"It'll be fine." The guide said, trying to reassure them both as he began to approach the unknown figures. Adam watched as he approached the three men. Their conversation was just audible through the echo of the cavern.

"Ave! What brings you men here today?" The guide asked rather happily.

"We are looking for two members of Caesar's Legion by the name of Vulpes Inculta and Adam Taurus." The man in the middle said, brandishing a machete. "Would you happen to know where they are?" The man asked.

"Why yes I do! Who are you with?" The guide asked, only for the man to the right to approach him to answer.

"We are the forward scouts of Caesar's Legion." The man said in a rather monotone voice.

"Oh! That's great! I'll lead you to them!" The guide said with joy as the three men followed behind him.

Vulpes decided to reveal himself to see if the men truly were of Caesar's legion. As he popped out of the rocky cover, he found that not only were these indeed members of Caesar's Legion, but they were also his personal Frumentarii. As they saw their superior reveal himself, the three men saluted both him and Adam.

"Good to see you gentlemen, shall we get going?" Vulpes asked his men.

"Of course sir, but first, what shall we do with _him_?" The middle Frumentarii asked, pointing at the guide.

"Ah, our tribal friend here wishes to join the ranks of the Legion and fight for its cause. We shall bring him with us, and I shall talk with Lanius to see if he can start the training process." Vulpes said as they began to walk off in the direction of the Legion base camp.

The journey took about five hours on foot through the scorching desert of the Mojave Wasteland. With the heat beating down on Adam, he was starting to get impatient.

"How many more hours until we reach the base?" Adam asked.

"I would estimate twenty minutes." Vulpes said.

"Does this world have anything amounting to cars?" Adam asked as he downed a bottle of purified water.

"There were functional cars, before the great war. Once the bombs dropped, the electronics inside the cars short-circuited and thus were inoperable." Vulpes said, continuing to talk. "However, some handy individuals have managed to scrape together a working dune buggy. They fetch a _very_ high price, not only that, but they solved the problem of not having enough fuel." Vulpes explained.

"How did they solve the problem?" Adam asked, a bit interested in the subject.

"They converted multiple micro fusion cell packs and used that as the energy source. Quite interesting if you ask me." Vulpes said, quite confident in his sources.

"Have they been used for combat?" Adam asked.

"Not yet, but we have been considering it for the Legion." Vulpes said as the tent of the base camp could be seen on the horizon. As they approached the gate, it opened to reveal Lanius standing there with his arms crossed, no doubt a look of frustration under that mask of his.

"Welcome back, Vulpes, and Bull." Lanius said, turning his back on them and walking back to his tent.

"Bull?" Adam asked, slightly confused.

"I believe he was referring to you Adam." Vulpes said as he followed the Legate to the command tent. He looked over his shoulder to face Adam. "Have a nice sleep young bull, tomorrow will be a busy day." Vulpes said as his figure disappeared into the distance as Adam was escorted to his tent by Vulpes' personal guard.

Thanks for reading and drop a review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. Under the Skin Hides a Monster

A special thanks to commanderpill for the editing and modification to this chapter to help keep the characters both believable and in character.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia awoke as Sebastian began to shift in his sleep. She had realized that as she had fallen asleep on him while she was watching him sleep. Her head was resting on the chest plate of his armored trench coat when he began to rise. She got a good look into his eyes as he awoke from his slumber. They were a beautiful dark blue, accented by a sympathetic look in his eyes. His natural beauty was shrouded by a coat of sadness and sorrow draped over his eyes. He look sad, depressed even.

What confused Ilia the most was his reaction to discovering her resting on his chest. He didn't jump off of the bed, he didn't even have a surprised look on his face. Instead he had a warm smile on his face, stroking her long ponytail softly. After about three minutes of doing this, he stopped and rose from his bed, Ilia getting out of his way. He leaned down, picking up his helmet and putting it on.

"Hey Sebastian…" Ilia said, gaining the attention of the ex-ranger. "Why do you look so sad?" She asked. She watched as he walked up to the chalkboard. He erased the things he had written on the blackboard the day before.

"Wanted to help people in military. Only killed. Not good for the soul." He wrote on the chalkboard.

"Oh." Ilia said, not knowing what to expect from the mysterious man. The next hour was spent as Sebastian taught her weapon maintenance. As she finished the lesson from the mute ranger, a loud banging and shouting from above.

"Could they be NCR?" Ilia asked, receiving a nod from Sebastian.

"I thought you said they had evacuated from the Mojave." Ilia stated. Sebastian nodded as he took out his Ranger Sequoia from its holster. Ilia drew her plasma pistol, aiming it at the top of the ladder. Fizz began to growl in anticipation.

The trap door began to slowly open, three men dressed in metal armor descended from the ladder, only to be greeted by a hail of plasma and lead, killing one of them. Then the remaining two charged at Ilia and Sebastian, separating to two of them.

The man who charged at Ilia was the largest of the three. He grabbed her by the wrists and head-butted her, releasing her grip on her weapon in response.

Fizz was trying and failing to eliminate or even distract the man who held Ilia by the wrists.

Sebastian dove to the side, avoiding the initial charge from the intruder. He looked to the side to see Ilia in trouble, only to be knocked on his ass. The attacker pounced on him and began to send a flurry of swings towards his face. Sebastian managed to unsheathe his combat knife and sent it plunging into the throat of his assailant, blood pouring out of the wound as his foe fell to the ground in a lifeless slump.

He rushed over to Ilia to assist her. The large man, and who Sebastian assumed was their leader, was sending many powerful and swift blows to Ilia's skinny frame. The attacks, although mostly impeded by the patrol armor he had suggested she wear, was causing pain to her. He decided to end him quickly. Sebastian climbed on his back, trying to reach his head so he could fire the ending blow.

Sebastian however, was thrown clean off. The man threw Ilia into a metal locker, knocking her out. Fizz began to lose energy, and upon seeing his mother unconscious, ceased his strikes against the leader and ran over to protect his mother.

"Oh, well if it isn't an NCR Ranger. I'm going to enjoy this!" He shouted as he sent a succession of multiple kicks and punched to his abdomen, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Then the arrogant leader made one fatal mistake. He gave an opening for Sebastian to use the Ranger Takedown on the leader of the attackers. The man slammed into the ground, Sebastian plunged his combat knife into the jugular of the leader, only a few twitches left him before he ceased to live.

Sebastian shot up from the gang leader and rushed over to Ilia and began to strap her to the back of his armor.

Ilia awoke to the sound of Fizz's feet and a single set of combat boots walking through sand. She realized that she was fastened to the back of Sebastian's duster. She poked him on the side of his helmet to get his attention. He stopped and let her down so that she could walk on her own.

"Why aren't we staying in the safe house?" Ilia asked.

"Door wasn't locked, easily broken through. Need to move or risk of another unneeded fight." Sebastian wrote in a piece of paper on a clipboard he grabbed at the safehouse.

"What's this strapped onto my back?" Ilia asked, pointing to the assault carbine on her back.

"Assault carbine. High rate of fire. Good in skirmish and battle." Sebastian wrote on the clipboard. "Added carbon fiber parts, makes it lighter. Also has extended mags, forged receiver, and light bolt. Best weapon for you." Sebastian finished writing.

"Thanks." Ilia said, following the ex-ranger. "Why are you helping me?" Ilia asked.

"You remind me of someone close to me." Sebastian wrote.

"What happened to them?" Ilia asked, drinking some water from a bottle.

"Left. Never saw them again. Heard they died years later." He wrote, before continuing his trek through the desert.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ilia said. 'Why am I so invested in this human? Am I starting to grow feelings for him?' Ilia thought as she followed Sebastian. She began to recount the past few days and what had happened. It started when she met the Chosen One, who had healed her and Fizz for no cost and expecting no favor in return. Then the caravan guard that gave her the water and advice. Finally, it came down the mute, ex-ranger that had saved her from death, Sebastian.

Was Blake, right? Were there kind humans out there? Sebastian could have stolen her things and put a bullet through her skull, or worse, he could have had his way with her, but he didn't. Instead, he looked after her while she was unconscious, protecting her, feeding her, and arming her. Surely this meant that humans were not _all_ bad, right? She had never felt so conflicted.

Her time in the Atlas prep school and in the White Fang taught her that humans didn't care for the plight of the Fanus. But now she was starting to question what the White Fang had taught her. Sebastian was a human, there was no doubt in that. And the human, Sebastian, was trying to protect her. Even after their last battle, he could have just left here there to die, but didn't.

Then she remembered that morning. He was stroking her hair, like a parent combing through their child's hair. He had also told her that one person who was close to him had left him and wound up dead. Was he trying to heal that wound from his past? Did he simply take pity on her? Was he her guardian angel? Was he a monster in disguise? She had all these questions, and none of the answers. But there was one thing she knew for sure, he valued her.

It felt nice, being someone who was valued as they were, but would he feel the same way if she were to reveal who she truly was? Only time would tell.

The crackle of gunfire could be heard in the distance. Ilia watched as Sebastian stood in his tracks, looking off into the direction of the gunfire. They moved around the conflict, avoiding any fighting for that day. She noticed that he was fiddling with some string and a bottle cap. Once they reached their destination they took shelter in the abandoned fort.

"Camp McCarran, what is this place?" Ilia asked as Sebastian help open the door for her.

"Old fort, used by NCR before retreat. We sleep here, one night, then we leave." He wrote into the sand.

"Where are you taking us?" Ilia asked.

"Safest place in Mojave, New Vegas." Sebastian wrote before handing her what he was working on. It was a necklace that had many intricate and beautiful beads. But the focus of the necklace was the bottle cap he had been messing with earlier. The bottle cap had a unique star in the middle of it.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Ilia said, smiling as she put the necklace on. Sebastian led her into the disheveled airport. He showed her the monorail and wrote into the sand that was spread across the floor.

"Use this to go into New Vegas after we sleep." He wrote, leading her to where they would sleep. He began to set up their sleeping bags and took out some food and water.

Courier Six

The Courier awoke before his partner did. He managed to wriggle himself out of her tight and comforting grasp. He noticed one he exited the bed that Cinder instinctively clutched her side, trying to warm herself. He pulled the blankets over her shoulder, an approving smile appearing on her face as the warmth of the thick blanket encapsulated the young woman's body.

"Rex, ED-E, I need you two to guard Cinder, ok? Only Cass can come in, ok?" The Courier whispered to the two, ED-E giving a soft, affirmative beep and Rex hopping up on the bed, curling up on top of the blanket at Cinder's feet.

Six equipped his duster and slowly snuck out of the room. 'Thank god for my sneak skill.' Six thought to himself as he entered the hallway of the presidential suite. He found his companions crowding around the door to Winter and Boone's room, only that Boone was on the outside of the door. He approached the group curiously.

"Hey guys, what's happening?" Six asked as he took a sip from a bottle of Nuka-Cola.

"A mutiny." Boone said with an irritated voice.

"Does it involve my decision to add Cinder to the guardians?" Six asked, only to receive and nod from all of his friends. He gave off a heavy sigh. "Hey Cass, could you go look after Cinder until I get back to the room?" He asked.

"Sure, thing Six, I think I'm starting to take a liking to her!" Cass said with an upbeat attitude as she went to Six's room.

"So, who exactly is leading this cute little rebellion?" Six asked the group.

"Weiss and Winter Schnee." Arcade answered with a stern voice.

"That makes sense, they were the one's who directly attacked Cinder after all." Six reasoned as he began to lean on the door.

"Have you tried blowing the door off its hinges?" Six asked, only to receive an irritated nod from Raul.

"We tried, but they threatened us with some of Boone's spare weapons that he kept in his room." Raul explained.

"What weapons you got in there, Boone?" Six asked the sharpshooter.

"Three hunting rifles and a .308 sniper rifle." Boone told the Courier.

"Hm. So three bolt action rifles and a semiautomatic rifle. I have an idea, but I don't think any of you are going to like it." Six said loud enough so that those both outside and inside the room could hear him.

"I'm going to go in unarmed." Six whispered to the group.

"That's suicide Six! You'll be shot dead!" Veronica shouted, voicing her concerns.

"I have to agree with the scribe, boss. They intend to harm or even _kill_ and I don't think it will be smart to leave New Vegas without a leader before a war with the enclave." Raul said with concern.

"Veronica, Raul, I appreciate your concerns, but I have no intention on becoming a martyr for my cause, I intend to live through his encounter." Six said, cracking open a meeting people magazine, skimming through that month's issue.

"Alright, wish me luck." Six said as he equipped benny's suit and lucky shades. He knocked on the door.

"We aren't opening up!" Weiss shouted from the other side of the door.

"I just want to talk with you!" Six shouted back.

"You had your time to talk, that was two days ago!" Winter shot back at him.

"I want to hear your side of things!" Six said, trying to convince them to open up.

"Tell the others to go back in their rooms!" Winter commanded. Six looked towards his companions and nodded, each of the going to their respective rooms, Boone joining Arcade in his room.

"Alright, they're gone, can I come in now?" Six asked, only to receive no response. Seconds later he could hear the lock slowly turning. After the lock was in the open position, Winter shouted a command.

"Open the door slowly!" She commanded as Six slowly turned the knob. As he opened the door his face was greeted with three barrels from hunting rifles and one from a sniper rifle.

"Now shut the door slowly and lock it behind you." Yang commanded as Six held his hands up defensively.

"Ok…" Six said, locking the door behind him. Once he was done, he received a swift blow to the head which knocked him unconscious.

Six awoke to screaming coming from the outside of the room.

"What have you done with Six?!" Veronica shouted from the other side of the door.

"Winter! If you so much as put a bullet through his ear, you'll be meeting your maker!" Boone shouted.

"Blake! Stop this, NOW!" Raul commanded.

"Weiss! Stop this temper tantrum and release the Courier now!" Arcade commanded.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Cass shouted, her plea followed by some threatening growling from Rex and an angry beep from ED-E.

"WHAT DID YOU FUCKING IDIOTS DO?!" Six shouted, the entire presidential suite being covered with a cold silence.

"We captured you, to use you as leverage." Winter stated.

"Well, are you fucking proud of yourself? HUH?! I came to _talk_ to you four about your side of the story. But _no,_ you just had to go and give me another cranial injury." Six snapped with anger.

"Quiet. You are a prisoner, nothing more." Winter said, as Six began to laugh like a madman.

"What is so amusing, prisoner?" Winter asked.

"Weiss, you were listening to what Arcade told you about when happened to the people to did the same thing to me? The ones who bound me by my hands and feet, put two bullets through my head at point blank?" Six asked Weiss.

"Yes… where are you going with this?" Weiss asked, suddenly realizing what he was alluding to.

"Weiss, what is he talking about?" Winter asked her younger sister.

"This." Six said, materializing a photo album from his Pip Boy. He threw it at Winter's feet. She picked it up and looked at Six.

"Go ahead, open it. What's the worst that could happen? I mean, you've already kidnapped me, so what do you have to lose?" Six asked with a devilish grin on his face.

She opened it, only to cover her mouth in horror. "I think I'm going to be sick…" Winter said, holding back the vomit that was starting to erupt from her stomach. She began to dispel the throw-up into a nearby trash can. As she dropped the photo album, the pictures were revealed to the three young huntresses. They all gasped in horror at the pictures that they saw.

"H-he w-wasn't l-l-lying…" Weiss said, every inch of her shaking with fear, tears of fear and horror running down her cheeks. She dug her head into Yang's chest for comfort, as the blonde huntress continued to look at the pictures, unable to look away. Blake on the other hand, was looking at the Courier with a look of horror and fear on her face.

"You're a cannibal…" Blake said, finally choking out the words, unable to look at the Courier the same way. she noticed his malicious grin starting to subside, and a look of sorrow and even shame took its place.

"This place…" Six said raising from his seat position on the bed, standing on the carpeted floor. "This world…" Six continued, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. "It's a terrible, horrific place. And sometimes…" Six said, refusing to cry. Instead simply letting the tears flow from his eyes. "You must do things that even yourself views as horrific and unnatural. I'm not proud of my actions. But I took pictures of those times that I do not forget the bitter taste of human flesh in my mouth as I tried to obtain some sort of subsidence to stave off starvation." Six said with shame.

"You… you're a monster!" Weiss shouted banging her balled up fists on his chest, still shaking with fear.

"How many know?" Yang asked still looking at the pictures of the then Courier Six consuming the flesh of those he killed. His frame was tightly hugging his skeleton, not a single muscle or ounce of fat could be seen on his body. It reminded her about when she would ask her uncle Qrow about her mother. He always described their friends in the tribe as thieves and murders, but she refused to believe that her mother was now their leader. But now it finally began to sink in. They didn't do the things they because they _wanted_ to they did those things because they _needed_ to in order to survive.

"All of them. They _all_ know about my… disease, even Cinder." Six said with shame as he hung his head low. Winter finished throwing up and approached the Courier with pure disgust on her face. she drew her saber and pointed it directly at the Courier's throat.

"You are more of a monster then _her_." Winer spat with disgust.

"I am." Six said, acknowledging Winter's point of view on the subject.

"Why." Everyone looked over to Weiss who spoke.

"Why show this to us?" Six sighed

"To tell you people do what they do for survival tha-" However before he could finish weiss yelled

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER"

Six getting angry himself responded to this. "Yes it does wha-" however before he could respond once more weiss spoke again.

"NO you listen to me. What she did wasn't in the name for survival. What you did was awful inhuman and horrible but you know what? We can understand that you did it for survival. WHAT she did wasn't she killed hundreds EVEN THOUSANDS. she has willingly tortured and mutilated people practically made people into SLAVES all in the of power." Weiss stated.

"YOU are willingly helping someone who is no better than the LEGION." Six once again shook his head

"She isn't like the legion she is trying to change." Weiss however still was not having this.

"SHE IS but you want to know something else. We aren't only trying to hurt her for her attack of innocents not only for the destruction of one of the few places of our home that is a safe haven. No we are stopping her for one important reason." Weiss strolled up to Six and looked him in the eye he could see tears streaming down her face and could see anger in those blue eyes of hers.

"SHE killed one of our friends." This stopped Six. "She killed our friends in cold blood, she was kind, she was just, she was one of the best most caring person you could have ever met in your life and SHE." she paused to catch her breath and try in vain to hold her tears. "SHE took her from us." She used her sleeve to wipe away her tears and look Six once again with strong conviction

"YOU look me in the eye and you tell me that you would forgive someone for that. YOU tell me that you could not only forgive that person but BE next to that person and be forced to work with them because someone who is stronger than you someone who has no idea what she has done and actively tries to defend her said so. Remember Lilly? I don't know her but you tell me that you would forgive those NCR troopers for what they did."

Six lowered his head as he heard this. "No." he said softly only for Weiss to hear.

"I thought so, so how-" but now it was her time to be cut off

"No I wouldn't be able to forgive her. But if I can look her in the eyes and I can see that someone is truly sorry for what they did IF I can see and hear the true remorse that person felt for their actions I could accepted they are a different person." Six looked back at Weiss with his own conviction. "I can never forgive someone for that but if they are truly sorry for what they did and they actively work to fix it I can accept that they are change and at the very least tolerate them for what they did."

Weiss didn't believe what he said especially after the anger he shows constantly. "Liar. Winter let him go I don't think I want to do this anymore. I-I just want to go." Winter although reluctant to let someone so dangerous go but the look in her sister's eyes made her fold in.

Winter cut Six loose and all of the remnant crew left but before leaving Winter gave Six and cold glare.

After sometime the remnant crew decided to talk to their respective members of Six's crew.

"So, you knew? The whole time you knew and didn't even tell me?" Weiss asked as she was led to Arcade's room.

"You would have judged him. You would have refused to even talk to the man." Arcade countered.

"But he's a cannibal!" Weiss shouted in disbelief.

"He _was_ a cannibal." Arcade corrected. "He got help and now he doesn't even have urges anymore." Arcade with optimism.

"How can you follow a man like that?" Weiss asked, with anger.

"He was strong and honest enough to admit to me what he did, and I could tell he wanted help. So, I helped him, and he thanked me. Not everyone is born sane or normal, but as a doctor, I can help them to become normal." Arcade said.

Arcade sighed. "I know what Cinder did was awful and to be honest I don't know if I could forgive something like that, but Six is right that people can change for the better. You know that right?" Weiss just turned away from Arcade

"I don't know if I can even trust you for following someone like that." With that Weiss left and Arcade became more disheartened.

Just one room over, Boone was talking with Winter. Or rather they were both staring at each other with cold stares.

"You follow a cannibal." Boone sighed as he broke the stare contest.

"I follow a _former_ cannibal, he has changed." Winter just scoffed.

"That may be so but he still is harboring a monster." Boone looked back at Winter with a cold stare again.

" _Former_ monster just like Six I believe that she can change." Winter just shook her head.

"You were a soldier were you not? How can you say that you heard what she did, she killed one of my sister friends and actively killed hundreds of innocents. Solders are meant to protect people, and yet you let _him_ keep her around." Winter said with disgust.

Boone sighed once again. In truth he didn't believe in Six's decision but he helped him in ways that other haven't and he never went astray before and he owed six to at least trust him in this decision. "Look, Six did something for me that has helped me in ways you can't understand. In truth I don't know if what Six is doing is right or if he is correct to judge in this matter. From what I hear she is like the legion and I _despise_ the legion. But I trust Six and if push comes to shove I have to side with him."

Winter just looked away from him. "And I hope you understand that I have to side with _my_ family and for the common good." She looked over her shoulder with anger. "Like a real soldier should." After that she walked out.

Doors down Veronica and Yang were having their own serious conversation.

"Yang, _please_ don't do something like this again!" Veronica pleaded with her blonde pupil.

"Why are you so concerned for me?" Yang countered.

"Because… I want you to be safe. You don't know half the things the Courier has done to protect those he cares for." Veronica said with her head held low.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"I was a part of the Brotherhood of Steel about a year ago. The Elder there a man I considered a father caused someone I cared about to leave the Brotherhood because of my attraction to other woman. He was trying to split me and my significant other apart." Veronica said with a disappointed sigh.

"But what does this have to do with Courier Six?" Yang asked.

"After the battle of Helios One, the brotherhood went into hiding. Me and a few others were the only ones able to leave the bunker and that is only for food I decided to go to the I-188 trading post, and that's where the Courier found me. He took me in as his pupil and helped me to learn more about the Mojave. Then he decided to take me to the Brotherhood Bunker. They let us back in, and we tried to help them…" Veronica said, tears starting to form in her eyes. Yang wrapped her arms around Veronica's shoulder.

"Everything. We tried everything! Self-sustained food source, Archimedes, the Pulse Gun. None of it worked Yang, _none of it_. I tried to convince them to change, they would have died eventually. Then… I tried to help people. I was trying to help people, but my knowledge, it was forbidden to those who were not with the Brotherhood. A rogue squad of BOS paladins followed us and they killed them all, Yang." Veronica said, tears rolling down her face. Yang tried to comfort the Brotherhood of Steel scribe by rubbing her back.

"I tried to convince him not to do it, but he couldn't be reasoned to stop. It wasn't until I saw that empty, dead look in their eyes that I realized, he did it because he thought they would come for _me_." Veronica said on the verge of bawling. Yang was almost scared to ask what the Courier did, but she had to know.

"What did he do?" Yang asked, only for Veronica to look into her eyes and wipe her eyes.

"He killed them All of the Rouge Brotherhood of Steel paladins, dead. Just to protect me from what would have come. He was my protector, whether I liked it or not. After that he gave me a room here, for both my physical and mental safety. Arcade helped me to cope with what happened." Veronica said, her concern for Yang's safety now evident.

"Six wasn't wrong for killing them, I thought they were my friends but it was evident that they were too far gone." Veronica looked at Yang. "Yang, I don't believe he will kill you for no reason nor do I believe that you are a evil person. But six is very protective to people he cares about I don't want to see you hurt Yang, so please don't try that again."

Hearing this did the opposite of what Veronica wanted. All Yang heard were reasons why Cinder had to be stopped and now even Six. Yang's eyes turned red after hearing this. "YOU sided with a person who killed your friends? I thought you were different than to most people here but it's obvious that you're not. Cinder will pay for what she did." Yang Stomped out

"YANG WAIT." Veronica tried to say but she already left.

Raul was seated on the bed next to Blake.

"Blake, if you knew the things I knew, you wouldn't want to harm that girl." Raul said with another heavy sigh.

"No, _you_ don't know!" Blake shouted in anger. "She killed _hundreds_! What would you know about that?!" Blake shouted in anger.

"I know that violence only begets more violence. I learned that the hard way. I decided to become a guardian of sorts of Mexico City after the bombs fell. That resulted in getting my sister _killed_. Do you have any siblings?" Raul asked.

"No." Blake responded.

"Well, imagine the one you love for and care for the most going away to find some medicine for you. They never come back, and when you finally have the strength to go looking for her, you find her brutally murdered and violated." Raul said. Blake's mind went back to seeing Yang getting her arm cut off by Adam. She shivered at the thought.

"That still doesn't excuse-" Blake started.

"I'm not excusing her actions nor am I in favor of having her on the guardians, but the boss's rule is law, and he has never failed us before, so I wouldn't exactly disregard his judgement." Raul said as he handed Blake a bowl of soup.

"I'm still not changing my mind." Blake said.

"And you don't have to, you simply have to _tolerate_ her, that's all." Raul said.

In his room, Courier Six was talking with Cinder on what happened.

"So is it true?" Six asked Cinder.

Cinder looked down to the ground and simply nodded. "I-I did horrible things and they were not in the name of survival. I killed that girl, and I could understand if you want me to leave." Six however grabbed Cinders shoulders and shook his head.

"True or not you are a changed person, you want to be a better person and I believe you can do that. We just have to prove that to the others." Six stood up. "I think you should start to atone for your past actions." Six said, crossing his arms.

"And how would _you_ help me with that?" Cinder asked.

"I never said anything about _me_ being the one to help you, in fact I know someone who has been in the very same position you are in right now." Six said.

"And who might that be?" Cinder asked, her interest peaking.

"Have you ever heard of the Burned Man?" Six asked.

"I can't say I have." Cinder said.

"Well, to make a long story short, he was the first legate of the Legion and for his failure at the first battle of Hoover Dam. His punishment was to be covered in pitch, set on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon. By some God-given miracle, he survived and lives on to this very day. Ever since his 'punishment' he has been attacking the Legion ever since." Six said, getting ready to start the long walk to Zion.

Cinder followed suit and as they walked out of the room, Rex trotted up to Cinder and whined, rubbing his body against her leg.

"Do you want to come with?" Cinder asked the cyborg dog. Rex barked in affirmation as Cinder knelt down and scratched behind his ear. Six was bumped from behind by ED-E, who gave a sorrowful beep.

"Are you feeling left out ED-E?" Six asked, as ED-E gave a happy beep.

"You wanna join us?" Six asked, the eye-bot practically bouncing around with excitement. "Alright, you can come too." Six said as Cinder, Rex, and ED-E followed him to the elevator before being stopped by Cass.

"Hey Six! Mind if I tag along?" Cass asked, hoping to get some juicy gossip from Cinder.

"The more the merrier I guess?" Six said with a shrug as she joined the group of four to make it a group of five.

"Hey Six…" Cass asked Six as the elevator climbed down to the ground floor. "Are you going to tell us some of your stories from outside the Mojave?" Cass asked.

"When we set up camp for the night." Six answered as the elevator doors opened. He lead them towards the Northern Passage to Zion. As they navigated through the valley, the sounds of coyotes howling could be heard from the high cliffs as the sun began to set. Rex would occasionally join them in their howls, drawing chuckles from Six and Cinder.

"How did you find Rex?" Cinder asked the Courier.

"Well, it was during my time working in Freeside, I had come under the employ of a group of neighborhood heroes who call themselves-" Six said before being interrupted by Cass.

"The Kings." Cass finished, giving her best impression of the accent of the Kings.

"Who are they?" Cinder asked, slightly amused by the accent Cass put on.

"They were a group of people who started to worship a man that had a funny way of talking. Their leader, the King, leads them and looks out for the people of Freeside. Rex was one of his companions." Rex responded with a happy bark.

"He needed to get some treatment for some injuries he had sustained and his degenerating brain. I went to Jacobstown so that Doc Henry could heal him of his affliction and get another brain for him." Six said.

"After he got his new brain, he was doing a lot better." Six said, holding his hand up, signaling the group to stop.

"What is it?" Cass whispered as Six looked back at them.

"Just ahead, look, don't make noise." Six whispered back, pointing forward. The group saw a mother Yaoi Guai with three cubs following her. They watched as the irradiated black bears passed them. The mother turned her head to face Six's group, starting the Courier in the eyes. The mother turned back to face her cubs and moved out of the way of the group.

"Why didn't it come for us?" Cinder asked, remembering Six warning her about the creatures of the Mojave.

"It's a mother and as a mother its first priority is to protect its cubs. We weren't threatening its children so it had no reason to come after us. So long as you don't give the creatures here a reason to attack you, they wont." Six explained as the moved on through the valley.

"What was that thing called?" Cinder asked.

"A Yaoi Guai, its Chinese for monster." Six said as they stopped at a camp fire site. Six began to start the fire as Rex sat by Cinder, laying his head in her lap. ED-E helped Six to light the fire by shooting his laser at the fire pit. Cass took a seat at one of the benches that were situated around the fire pit.

"So, Six, about one of those stories…" Cass asked, Six, finally giving in.

"Alright, but Cinder chooses which one I tell." Six said, taking a bite from his trail mix. "Your choices are, Sierra Madre or my first time in Zion." Six said.

"How about the Sierra Madre?" Cinder asked as Six gave a heavy sigh.

"Alright, the Sierra Madre was advertised as a place to start your new beginnings. However, the man who built it, Frederick Sinclair, had a habit of not being able to let go, just like those who sought after the treasure that lay within. You see, there was a rumor that deep within the undercroft of the Sierra Madre casino, was gold bars and enough supplies to never have to scavenge for food and water again. Naturally, as these rumors got out, scavengers tried to crack open the casino, and every single one of those who went there never returned." Six said as ED-E emitted a scared beep, shivering in fear.

"So why did you go? Did you think that _you_ could crack the code?" Cinder asked.

"God no. I was simply dragged along for the ride. I began to explore an abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker when an unrecognizable gas began to pour into the bunker through the ventilation system. It knocked me out and I had an explosive collar snapped onto my neck and was sent to assist three others with opening the Sierra Madre." Six said, a shiver going down his spine as he remembered traversing the outer grounds of the casino.

"The man who captured me was Father Elijah from the Brotherhood of Steel. He was using me and three others to crack the vault which held the gold. He thought he could bring back the Brotherhood from its eventual downfall, he was wrong, oh so wrong. It was merely his downfall, his fate, and most of all his ending. He could not accept his defeat at Helios and he refused to accept his defeat in the Sierra Madre, and so, I killed him. I gave him the one thing he asked for, a quick death. After he was killed, I took his clothes and weaponry and fled that accursed fortress." Six said, drinking from his canteen.

"Do you think you'll ever go back?" Cinder asked, only to receive a hearty bellow of laughter from the Courier.

"Only if I wish to die." Six said with laughter until he started to go into his sleeping bag, only to be intercepted by Cinder, cleverly slipping into the mobile bed before Six could, forcing the two of them to sleep the night together, a sly grin on Cinder's face as the Courier's fingers intertwined with hers. She enjoyed doing this to the Courier, frustrating him now and again, she had never lost her edge when it came to her skills that she had attained in Remnant. She liked sleeping with Six, his protective nature allowing her to get a goodnight's sleep. That and she like the soft, gentle breaths of the Courier grazing the side of her face as she fell asleep.

'Awe, they look so cute together' Cass thought as Rex and ED-E guarded the Pyromancer and Courier who slept by the fire.

She drifted off into sleep, yet another scene involving the Courier appeared in her dream. It showed the Courier alongside a man with braided hair and who held what appeared to be a flag pole with a golden bird at its top. He wore the very same duster she currently was wearing.

The two of them were fighting off many men who wore odd armor. Their skin was the color of bright red, as if their skin was perfectly flayed off. They fought with such malice and anger, their hate was aimed directly Six and the other man. There were many warheads and rockets in the large chamber that the two side fought in, the warheads detonating from all sides as two of the queued were launched into the sky.

Once the battle was finished, the Courier rushed out of the building as the strange man followed him. The next thing she saw was Six walking alone along a road suspended in the air by large concrete pillars. Strange creatures that walked on all fours and more of those red men who had fought Six back at the temple were avoiding Six for some reason.

As he walked, he had an air of power and sorrow about him as he walked to his destination. As he walked into the distance, the vision began to fade into a final one which saw the Courier opening a footlocker and taking out many things, but one caught the young fall maiden's eye. It was a small recording that the Courier popped into his Pip Boy as it began to play, however she could not hear it.

As the final vision began to fade out, Cinder drifted off into her deep sleep.

Adam Taurus

Adam was meandering around the makeshift fort that was set up just five miles outside of Zion. Adam had nothing to do but to walk around the camp. He looked on as a few of the slaves were beaten for giving some legionaries some cold soup. He imaged Blake as one of the slaves and considered going in to help the poor human female, but decided against it as he moved past the spectacle.

As he passed same legionaries talking amongst themselves, a small mongrel pup trotted up to him. He tried to shoo it away from him but with no success. After ten minutes of trying to abandon it, the pup continued to follow him. he just decided to let it do as it pleased and continued to walk around the encampment. He was approached by Vulpes who noticed the pup that was following him.

"So, one of our Denver hounds' pups has started to take a liking to you?" Vulpes asked, quite amused.

"It appears so." Adam said, glaring down at the pup, who simply gave him an excited bark. "What do you need me for?" Adam asked.

"The legate wishes to speak with you." Vulpes said.

"What for?" Adam asked, surprised that the mountain of a human wished to see him.

"For the battle to come. We intend to strike at the heart of the Zion Confederacy, to finally kill the Burned Man. Doing this will allow us to flank New Vegas from the north and caging in the NCR. Once we have captured New Vegas, we can use it as a main base of operations and strike at the throat of the two-headed bear." Vulpes explained, leading Adam to the command tent.

In the tent, stood the legate Lanius at the center table which had a map of Zion Valley on it. Lanius was currently mapping out where the Legion forces would be positioned to strike the Zion Confederacy.

"Vulpes, you have brought the Bull?" Lanius asked.

"I have Lanius." Vulpes answered as the Legate walked over to Adam, walking around him multiple times, as if he were examining him.

He walked back to the table, looked directly at Adam with hate and malice in his voice. "Bull, you and Vulpes were captured by members of the Zion Confederacy, am I correct?" Lanius asked.

"You are." Adam said.

"Have either of you found any place where we can attack them by surprise?" Lanius asked Vulpes.

"I have just the person to tell you about such a subject." Vulpes said, motioning for someone outside of the command tent to enter. In came the guide that led Vulpes and Adam to freedom.

"He led us through a mostly unknown cave system." Vulpes said, motioning for the guide to speak to the Legate. "He also wishes to join us in our conquering of the Mojave.

"Ave, true to Caesar." The guide greeted.

"Speak, tribal." Lanius commanded.

"There is a secret cave system below the Zion Valley which we can strike them from. It is only known by the Burned Man, and no one else." The guide said with pride.

"This can be used to our advantage." Lanius said.

"I will send some scouts to record the geography of the surrounding the area. From what I learned from the time I was in Zion, most of the Confederacy is protected by high cliffs and knowledge of the terrain and wild-life. The only way to strike them without having to scale the cliffs, would be through that cave system." Vulpes explained to Lanius.

"I am not leading my forces through a cave system. I am knowledgeable of the downfall of the Malpais Legate, and how he was defeated in Boulder City. If he knows of these caves, as you have claimed, then who's to say he has not already laid traps for us?" Lanius questioned.

"If he has, then we have already lost the battle before it even begins. We need to send the scouts out to-" Vulpes said before Lanius slammed his closed fist onto the table.

"Silence. Your scouts have only gotten killed, and corpses are of no use to me. Unless they can spot and disarm traps they are of no use to me." Lanius said in a stern and commanding tone.

"My frumentarii _can_ do that." Vulpes shot back.

"Then send them to look for and disarm the traps. After they have finished, have them return and we will prepare for our strike." The Legate ordered before walking out of the tent with his guards in tow.

"He's not that friendly, is he?" The guide asked.

"Being friendly does not win battles." Adam said before walking back to his tent to tend to Wilt and Blush. He entered his tent, seeing his weapon sitting where he had left it. The pup had followed him this tent, much to Adam's frustration. As he was cleaning Wilt, Vulpes entered his tent, finding the pup curled up next to Adam's chair.

"The pup has seemed to take a liking to you." Vulpes said with a chuckle.

"I don't like it." Adam said plainly.

"You know, dogs are known as man's best friend." Vulpes said, trying to convince the fanus to keep the pup.

"You mean _human's_ best friend." Adam corrected only to be countered by Vulpes.

"It sees you as a human, and I'm sure that it could care less about whether you are human or not." Vulpes shot back.

"Then why is it following me?" Adam asked, gritting his teeth in anger.

"I see's you as a dominant type of person. Dogs are pack animals and will naturally follow an alpha male. It appears that this pup has viewed you as that alpha, and because of this is choosing to follow you." Vulpes explained.

"Really?" Adam asked, in disbelief, chuckling in amusement of this realization.

"Yes. He will follow you to the death. Dogs can be very loyal creatures." Vulpes said, walking out of Adam's tent. Once the man had left, Adam looked down at the pup who was resting down at his feet. He reached his hand down and scratched behind the pup's ear.

"You might be useful to me." Adam said as he lifted the pup onto his lap. He watched as the pup walked into a circle three times before curling up and going to sleep on Adam's lap.

After cleaning his weapons, he placed them by his bed side. The pup was still sleeping, and not wishing to wake him, Adam carried the sleeping pup to his bed. Then he placed his weapons next to his bed and pulled the covers over himself. He felt the pup wake up.

'Fuck, now he's going to be howling all night.' Adam thought as he had heard the hounds howling when there was a full moon. But instead the pup moved under the covers until his face met Adam's. Adam laid his arm over the pup as it laid itself out under the covers as they both fell asleep.

As Adam drifted off to sleep, his mind wandered to years before.

Adam was looking on at his ten-year-old self as he collected wood from the forest. 'You ignorant fool, go back to your house before it's too late.' Adam thought as he followed his younger self to the inevitable horrific scene which he would relive every now and again.

He decided to get this over with and followed the younger one and experience the final scene of this horrific repeating nightmare. He heard his mother telling him it wasn't his fault as her life's final second began to deplete. He heard his older brother telling him to save himself. Finally, he heard his father telling him to never stop bettering himself.

His eyes shot open, anger in his eyes at the vision when he looked down at the pup. The pup licked his face and he calmed down. It's in the past and there is nothing he can do about it now other than keep moving forward.

He went back to sleep, this time dreaming of the things he talked with the Burned Man about. His mind drifted to the man whom the Burned Man mentioned. What was he called? The Courier. Who was this 'Courier' and how was he able to convince Joshua to become more merciful? Was it through his own experiences? Was he a wise human? Adam didn't know, but he wanted to.

That was his goal. Find this 'Courier', and see what made him so convincing that he made a brutal and terrifying man turn into the peaceful coward he is today. Before he drifted off to sleep he thought of how interesting this world truly is.

And that's that! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Sand, Blood, and Fire.


	13. All to Zion

Thanks to commanderpill for looking over the chapter for me.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia woke up with Sebastian as he was preparing for their ride on the monorail. Fizz started to impatiently nudge Ilia as she got up from her sleeping bag. She rubbed Fizz on the head as he hummed with pleasure. As they packed up, a few voices could be heard in the distance. Sebastien motioned for Ilia to approached him as he drew his Ranger Sequoia. Heavy footsteps were heard getting, closer and closer.

"Hey, Rogerson, you hear that?" One of the men asked as they got even closer.

"Are your ears working alright Davidson?" A second man retorted.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who volunteered _both_ of us for advanced patrol duty!" Davidson said.

"Look man, I needed the extra money for the commissary to buy that extra patch!" Rogerson said.

"Fuck your patches." Davidson said with salt in his voice. The two men turned the corner to see two people poised to attack them. Ilia started to turn red with anger, the adrenaline starting to pump through her without a second thought to it.

Davidson wore some Hellfire power armor and Rogerson wore some mark 2 enclave power armor. Davidson had an incinerator in his hands and Rogerson was wielding a plasma caster.

"STAND DOWN! NOW!" Davidson commanded, neither Ilia or Sebastian heeding his command.

"HE SAID STAND THE FUCK DOWN!" Rogerson shouted at the two, aiming his plasma caster down at Ilia's head. Fizz charged at Rogerson, biting off the barrel of the plasma caster. Sebastian began to fire at Davidson who began to launch fireballs at him. Rogerson recoiled from the wanamingos bite. He pulled out a plasma pistol, firing at Ilia. The plasma rounds impacted on her abdomen, but were prevented from hitting her fleshy center due to the ranger patrol armor. Ilia cracked her whip and struck Rogerson in the leg, forcing him into a kneeling position.

Davidson, continued his stream of fireballs in the direction of the mute ranger. Sebastian pulled out his combat knife and held it in a tactical position, the blade pointing outward, the same direction that his sequoia's barrel was pointed. He started to shoot at the exposed neck of the hellfire trooper, only landing a few hits. As Davidson injected a stimpack, Rogerson ordered a retreat, only for his neck of be snapped by Fizz.

Davidson tried to flee, but tripped as he escaped, falling onto the concrete floor. Sebastian, Ilia, and Fizz slowly approached the downed hellfire trooper.

"Who. Are. You?" Ilia asked with anger written on her face.

"E-enclave! We're fucking enclave!" Davidson shouted with fear, his incinerator out of arm's reach. "W-what the f-fuck are you?!" He asked as Ilia's skin began to turn red with anger.

"That doesn't matter." Ilia said, getting closer to him. "Now tell me what the _enclave_ is doing here!" She shouted as her skin changed from bright red to a darker shade.

"We were forward patrol you bitch!" Davidson shouted. "You can kill me, but that won't save you and your ranger friend there! You are all fucked! No hope for you no-" Davidson shouted in insanity before Ilia sent her whip deep into his neck, silencing his delusional ramblings.

"Let's go, we need to get to New Vegas." Ilia said, walking towards monorail. Before she got on she looked over her shoulder at Sebastian and asked. "Weren't you afraid of me when I changed my skin color?" Ilia asked, receiving a surprising response.

The mute ranger shook his head, following her and Fizz into the monorail. As they rode the Old World machine to New Vegas, Ilia continued to asked Sebastian questions.

"Why weren't you scared of me?" Ilia asked, only to receive a shrug from him.

"Have you ever heard of fanus?" Sebastian shook his head.

"Are you still willing to protect me, knowing what I am?" Ilia asked, to which the mute ranger nodded.

"So, we're going to see this Courier fellow?" Ilia asked. Sebastian nodded his head.

"Should we tell him about the Enclave?" Ilia questioned. He nodded.

"There's something I ought to tell you, Sebastian. We are most likely going to meet an old friend of mine, her name's Blake." Ilia explained as he cocked his head to the side, as if to ask 'What happened between you two?'.

"We had a falling out. Then, we found each other in Freeside. We had… different views on a certain subject. Through my journey after that discussion, I think I have changed my mind on the subject. I think… Blake was right." Ilia said as they arrived at their destination. The streets of the City of Sin were surprisingly quiet. There was only a dozen or so people meandering around the strip. Sebastian led Ilia and Fizz to the Lucky 38 as the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

"What's with all these robots?" Ilia asked, only to receive a shrug from the mute ranger. As they approached the Lucky 38, a robot with a picture of a man wearing a straw hat on its monitor approached them.

"Howdy there fellas! What brings you to the Lucky 38?" the robot asked as Ilia stepped forward to answer.

"We're here to speak with Courier Six, is he here?" Ilia asked.

"I'm sorry ma 'lady, but I'm afraid he's off on one of his little adventures. He should be back within a week or so." The robot answered.

"Thanks for the answer." Ilia said, disappointed. Just then, Blake and the man who she had seen him with at the Old Mormon Fort emerged from the doors of the Lucky 38.

"Blake!" Ilia shouted, giving her a tight hug. Blake tensed up from the sudden encounter, then started to loosen up.

"Ilia…" Blake said, not wishing to face her old friend.

"Blake, I know what you think, but I've changed! I encountered many humans that were nothing but kind to me, one of which is stand right behind me. I learned that one should not judge others based on generalizations, but rather on an individual basis." Ilia said, glad to see her old friend once more.

"Really?" Blake asked, her face lighting up with optimism. "You, can you confirm this?" Blake asked Sebastian.

"His name's Sebastian by the way." Ilia said.

"Alright, Sebastian, has she tried to kill you?" Blake asked, only to receive a head shake from the ranger. "Do you know what she is?" Blake asked, Sebastian nodding much to Blake's surprise. "So, you know she's a Faunus?" Blake asked as Sebastian nodded once more.

"Can we be friends now?" Ilia begged.

"Sure." Blake said with a smile.

"Where were you guys going anyways?" Ilia asked as she, Sebastian, and Fizz followed her and Raul.

"Just going to enjoy the sun." Raul said, scanning the area.

"Would you be able to convince this robot to let us in?" Ilia asked the ghoul.

"Yea, just follow us in and it should be fine." Raul said as he walked back inside the confines of the casino. They followed him back inside as he headed for the elevator. They all crammed in and Raul his the button for the presidential suite. As the elevator began to rise, Raul tried to strike up a conversation with Sebastian.

"So, ranger, can you talk?" He asked, receiving a shake of the head from the mute Ranger.

"So, you're mute? Can you sign?" Raul asked as Sebastian signed "Yes."

"You can communicate with others without writing?" Ilia asked, receiving a nod from the Ranger.

"There are a few books on sign language that you could read up on." Raul said to Ilia as they arrived at the presidential suite.

"Thanks." Ilia said as she and Blake headed over to the library. While they did this, Raul and Sebastian were left to entertain Fizz who was sitting in the lobby.

Blake showed Ilia the books on sign language. As she sat down to read, she remembered the documents she had been carrying ever since she left the Remnant's Bunker. "Hey, Blake, I'm looking for someone, would happen to know where he is?" Ilia asked as held the books under her arm.

"Who is it?" Blake asked.

"Arcade Gannon." Ilia answered.

"Oh, him? he's staying here with the rest of us." Blake answered casually.

"He is?! Where can I find him?" Ilia asked with excitement.

"Here, I'll show you." Blake said, leading Ilia to Arcade's room. "He's in here." Blake said, opening the door. She saw a man in his early thirties and a girl about eighteen sitting at a table.

"Mr. Gannon?" Ilia asked as he looked up to face her.

"Yes?" Arcade asked as he got up from his seat and approached Ilia.

"I have information that a man by the name of Doctor Henry wanted me to give you." Ilia explained, handing him the documents which he took and began to scan the documents, the further he read, the more shocked his face became.

"Thank you _very_ much for bringing me this information." Arcade thanked her as he placed the documents on the table. "This will help Six greatly." Arcade said with a smile.

"Mr. Gannon?" Ilia asked.

"Please, just call me Arcade." Arcade asked as he looked at Ilia.

"Arcade, where _is_ Courier Six?" Ilia asked, only to receive a heavy sigh from the man.

"He's in the Zion Valley at the moment. Why are you asking? Do you wish to speak to him?" Arcade asked.

"No, I wish to _meet_ him. I want to know what type of human he is." Ilia said.

"What type of human he is?" Arcade repeated in the form a question.

"If he's worth trusting or not." Ilia said.

"Are you going to look for him?" Arcade asked, only to receive a nod from Ilia. "Well, if that's the case, you'll need this." Arcade said, handing the young faunus girl a map. "This should lead you to where he is." Arcade said as she thanked him and walked out of the room.

"So, did you get what you were looking for?" Blake asked.

"Yea… I'm going to go find him." Ilia said with a look of hope in her eyes.

"You are?" Blake asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm going to find him see what type of person he is." Ilia explained as she headed for the elevator along with Sebastian and Fizz.

"What if he's someone who you would like?" Blake asked a bit curious of the path her old friend would take.

"Well… I'd join him of course. I'd need someone like that close to me so that I can survive in this hellish world." Ilia said.

"WAIT!" Blake shouted, trying to keep her friend from leaving.

"What?" Ilia asked.

"You should stay for the night. Get a good night's sleep, have some breakfast in the morning then leave." Blake recommended. Ilia shrugged as she walked over to Blake's room with Sebastian and Fizz in tow. She sat on one of the four beds and opened up one of the books on sign language.

As she did so, Blake opened up a book titled, _Romeo and Juliet_ as the two friends read their books in silence. Raul however, was intent on speaking to the mute ranger.

"So, Sebastian, how exactly did you find Ilia?" Raul asked.

"Meandering around the Mojave, saw Ilia get knocked out. Decided to save her, after that made promise to myself to protect her." Sebastian signed to Raul. They continued the conversation for a few hours until everyone in the room went to bed.

Cinder Fall

Cinder began to stir in her sleep, realizing that her warming comfort, her partner, was absent from the sleeping bag. She opened her eyes to find the Courier sitting on one of the logs that was placed around the fire pit. He held his head on his hands as if he had been crying.

She got up from the sleeping bag and walked in front of him and kissed him on the forehead to get his attention. Then, she cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You feel better now?" Cinder asked softly, so as not to wake Cass from her slumber.

"Yea, thanks." Six said, a small smile forming on his face in the light of the moon.

"Why were you crying?" Cinder asked, quite concerned for her partner and his mental health and stability. She had asked Arcade how she could best help Six with his mental health. He told her that the most she could do at this time was to talk regularly with him and address anything that seemed out of character for him as soon as possible.

"I started to dream about my family again." Six said with a downcast tone.

"It's not wrong to dream about those whom you loved. Although my parents abandoned me on that night, I still dream about them fondly, they loved me, and nothing can change that." Cinder said with a warming smile as she hugged the Courier, nuzzling his neck. "You should never forget those who loved you, Six." Cinder advised.

The Courier returned the gesture, thanking Cinder for her advice before the both returned to their sleeping bag, Cinder resting her face in the chest of the Courier, feeling the rising and falling of his slow breathing, his breath tickling the back of her neck. She felt him wrap his arms around her, protecting her from the outside world and sharing his warmth with the fall maiden.

'Cinder.' Pyrrha said, getting her attention.

'Yes?' Cinder asked her friend.

'I was thinking, would you go back to Remnant if you had the chance?' Pyrrha asked. Cinder thought on the subject, at the beginning of this adventure of hers, she would have said yes without the shadow of a doubt, but now she didn't know.

'No.' Cinder replied with absolution.

'Why?' Pyrrha asked, wanting to get an explanation.

'Because I have a place where I feel I belong. Six has welcomed me with open arms and has let me into his heart. I would be a fool to wish to return to Remnant.' Cinder explained.

'But what about the luxury of civilization in remnant?' Pyrrha questioned.

'I still am not going to go back. This world suits me more, its more rugged and I like it that way. It allows me to hone my combat and conversational skills.' Cinder countered.

'But you could die young.' Pyrrha shot back.

'So be it. So long as I am with Six, I could care less _how_ I die, so long as I die along side him.' Cinder retorted.

'Alright. One more question. Who were you working for?' Pyrrha asked.

'Salem. She is one of the reasons I refuse to return to Remnant, it is only a matter of time before she finds a replacement for me and continues her plans. And when that happens she will need to kill me so that her next puppet will have the powers of the Fall Maiden.' Cinder explained.

'What _are_ her plans?' Pyrrha asked, a little bit of concern in her voice.

'The most cliché of plans, but a plan no less. To take over the world.' Cinder said nonchalantly, much to Pyrrha's shock.

'Really?!' Pyrrha asked with disbelief. 'Why would anyone do that?' Pyrrha questioned.

'I don't know the exact reason, but I would guess some resentment for Ozpin, wishing to see all he has maintained crumble beneath her.' Cinder guessed. 'I'm going to go to sleep now.' Cinder said, drifting into a deep sleep. She had eight hours of undisturbed sleep, the sun acting as a natural alarm clock, forcing her eyes to open. Six stretched his arms out with a yawn, crawling out of the sleeping bag.

"Come on guys, get up!" Cass shouted at both Six and Cinder.

"Ugh, Cass, no need to shout." Six said, equipping his duster. The sleeping bag that Cinder now inhabited now began to shake, a fully clothed Cinder emerging from the sleeping bag. Six handed her a box of sugar bombs for breakfast.

"So, which way are we going to go to meet the Burned man?" Cass asked as she took a bite from some dandy boy apples.

"Don't worry, I got a map." Six said, pulling out a folded map from his pocket. "We are going to have a five-hour trek north, then we should arrive in the valley." Six said.

"Will we encounter any more of the local wildlife?" Cinder asked, wiping her mouth of the crumbs from the pre-war cereal.

"We most likely will. Expect there to be more Yaoi Guai and geckos. You should also expect to encounter the Cazadors." Six said, Cass shuddering in response to last part of Six's warning.

"What's a cazador?" Cinder asked, loading The Gun with, incendiary rounds.

"Well, a Cazador is a highly-enlarged Tarantula Wasp that travels in packs. They are _highly_ dangerous and the only thing I would compare equally to a deathclaw." Six explained to Cinder.

She shuddered in fear, remembering her encounter with the apex predator that Six had saved her from. They set off for Zion, Rex and ED-E following the three wastelanders to their destination. As they traversed the maze of a canyon, they encountered a few raiders. The three of them were perched on a ledge, with the raiders right below them, two held what Six considered to be a jury-rigged crossbow and the third was holding a compound bow with a barbed arrow notched.

"Alright, we can take these guys out quickly. Cinder, you take out the guy on the left, I'll go for the middle and Cass, you go for right." Six whispered as they each took their positions. Cinder aimed down the sights of her unique pistol at the head of the raider to the left. Cass took aim with her riot shotgun at the raider on the right as Six lined up his shot at the middle raider with Maria.

"NOW!" Six shouted, all three of the raiders turning to face Six, only to have their lives cut short as the bullets and shells ripped through their skulls. Rex and ED-E joined them as they began to scavenge through the corpses. Cinder picked up the compound bow and slung it over her shoulder along with its quiver. She found some comfort in the fact that she was able to use a bow again.

"Shit, you think there are more raiders the closer we get to Zion?" Cass asked as she picked up some stimpacks and healing powder.

"No, these guys must have gotten lost from the main group and wandered into here." Six reasoned as he led them closer to Zion. Four hours later they had arrived at the entrance to the Zion canyon.

"Wow, this place is gorgeous!" Cass said as she looked around.

"Yea, it's one of the few places untouched by the Great War. It's quite miraculous really." Six said, pulling out his binoculars to survey the area. Cass and Cinder drew their weapons as an unknown person approached them with a war club in hand.

"Don't worry, he isn't a threat." Six said, still looking through the binoculars.

"Ah, Courier, how has the owslands been?" The tribal asked.

"Pretty adventurous, how are things in Zion, Follows-Chalk?" Six asked as he put the binoculars away.

"We managed to capture some legion soldiers, but they got away…" Follows-Chalk said with disappointment.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, would you mind leading me and my companions to Joshua?" Six asked.

"Sure!" Follows-Chalk said with an upbeat tone as he led the group of five to the Burned Man. As they walked, Follows-Chalk decided to strike up some conversation.

"You have quite the pretty ladies, Courier. Have you claimed one as yours yet?" He asked the Courier.

"Claimed one?" Six asked, not understanding Follows-Chalk's question.

"Yes, as a partner and mate." The Tribal scout elaborated.

"Well…" Six said, a bit nervous to answer the blunt question.

"Yes, he has. He's claimed me." Cinder interjected.

"Oh, then you are a mighty lucky woman. This man is a war hero and a true warrior. He's been to all sorts of places too!" Follows-Chalk said with enthusiasm. Cinder and Cass snickered at the young tribals glowing recommendation of Courier Six as he merely hid his embarrassment in his hands.

"Here we are! You and your mate go talk with Joshua, you will have to wait outside the cave of thunder." Follows-Chalk said, pointing at Cass.

"Awe! Come on!" Cass said with a pout.

"Sorry Cass, their home, their rules." Six said as he led Cinder into the cave. The inside of the cave was adorned with paintings of humans and creatures. They continued to walk through the cave until they reached Joshua's area. The Burned Man was seated at a table which had two neat stacks of .45 pistols which he was inspecting. Every part of his body, except his eyes, was covered in bandages, from his legs to the top of his head was wrapped in the stuff.

"Hello Courier, it appears that the lord has brought me an extra visitor this time." Joshua said as Cinder and Six stood there. His voice was slightly raspy and yet was softly spoken. It was the voice of a man who had truly been through a lot, and Cinder could respect that.

"I have, and for a good reason too. She wishes how to atone for her past sins, and I believe you were the best one for her to consult." Six said.

"Courier, you have made the wise choice. Now young lady, approach me and let me absolve you of yours sins and lead you to the path of righteousness." Joshua said, motioning for Cinder to come closer to him.

Cinder approached the Burned Man, his eyes analyzing her body, her every movement, even where her eyes wandered.

"What is your name?" Joshua asked Cinder.

"Cinder Fall." Cinder said.

"For what sins are you here to atone for, Cinder Fall?" Joshua asked with his raspy and deep voice. She looked over at Six, who simply nodded, giving her the go-ahead.

"I come here to absolve myself of the sin of murder." Cinder said with a gulp of nervousness.

"Such a sin is quite horrendous to commit." Joshua said, rising from his seat and walked over to Cinder to continue to examine her. "How many did you kill?" Joshua asked.

"Directly, or indirectly?" Cinder asked, to which The Burned Man stopped in his tracks, facing Cinder, her eyes catching his.

"First, directly." Joshua commanded.

"Two." Cinder said

"Two? You have ended just two lives and have survived the wasteland? God might have chosen you to survive, but that does not mean you are _worthy_ of his gifts." Joshua explained with conviction.

"How many have you killed indirectly?" Joshua asked.

"Hundreds." Cinder replied.

"Ah, so you come here to clear your conscious?" Joshua questioned.

"No, I came here to absolve my sins, nothing more, nothing less." Cinder insisted.

"So, you say…" The Burned Man said, giving Cinder some space. "Do you know how _I_ absolved myself of my sins?" Joshua asked. Cinder shook her head. "I had help from the one who brought you here. What I learned that day, is that mercy is the greatest weapon, greater than the bombs of the Old World." Joshua said as he took his seat back at the table.

"So how can I-" Cinder asked before she was stopped by the Malpais Legate.

"You must show that you can move on. I will tell you, what the Courier told me after I spared Salt-Upon-Wounds. It hurts to let go, but it hurts more to hold on. He came to Zion after his journey through The Divide and said a certain frumentarii by the name of Ulysses had taught him that lesson." Joshua said.

"The Divide?" Cinder asked, only for Six to shake his head.

"That is a story for another day." He said solemnly.

"So, Cinder, show me and the Courier that you can let go. You will start this path by asking for forgiveness from those you have harmed but not killed." Joshua explained.

"But what if they do not forgive me? What if they _can't_ forgive me?" Cinder asked, as Joshua chuckled at this question.

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13" Joshua answered.

"What?" Cinder asked, confused about his answer.

"If you can forgive them for what they have done to you, then they can forgive you." Joshua explained.

"But they haven't done anything to me!" Cinder shouted in rage.

"I speak not of the individuals to which you refer to, but those who _have_ harmed you. You must forgive to be forgiven." Joshua said, calming down the Fall Maiden.

"I understand. Thank you for your advice. But I have one more question." Cinder said calmly.

"And what might that be?" Joshua asked with curiosity.

"What happens after I am forgiven?" Cinder asked.

"Live your life." Joshua answered.

"Thank you." Cinder said with a respectful bow before walking out of the cave.

"You are welcome, Cinder Fall." Joshua said as the two of them walked out of the cave.

"Well that went well." Six said, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"At least I got what I was looking for." Cinder said without a hint of disappointment. "It will certainly be a hard road to walk…" Cinder said, looking up at Six. With a smile on her face. "But it will be worth it." She finished, looking in front of her. Six nodded in agreement as he and Cinder sat by a campfire.

"Would you mind telling me about the Divide?" Cinder asked, only to receive a denying shake of the Courier's head.

"I'll tell _everyone_ once we get back to the Lucky 38." Six said with that same solemn tone as in the cave when the Divide was mentioned. To Cinder, it was just another mystery of Courier Six, but the Courier himself, it was a shameful part of his past that he wished to move on from.

"Alright." Cinder said as she scooted closer to him as the fire raged in front of them.

"Hey guys! Good to see you're back. So, what's the plan, Six?" Cass asked as she sat down with them.

"I think we should stay here for a few more days, then we set out for the Lucky 38." Six answered. "I want to make sure Zion is safe before we leave for Vegas." Six explained. "I have a bad feeling for some reason." Six said, drinking a Nuka-Cola.

Adam Taurus

"Get up, boy." Adam heard Lanius command as the Bull fanus rose from his bed. His pup jumped from his bed and sat at his feet. "Once you are dressed, follow me to the arena for training." Lanius commanded as he walked out of his tent. Adam gathered his weapons and left the tent with his pup following him. He followed Lanius to a make-shift arena where he armed himself and entered with Adam.

Adam took hold of Wilt and Blush, his pup sitting on the side alongside some of the older Legion Mongrels to watch his leader fight.

"We will be training until the day we strike Zion. We will do a fight a day and the rest of the day you will work on improving your body and mind, which Vulpes will help you with. Now we spar. Now let's see why Caesar's desert fox took an interest in you." Lanius said as he swung the Blade of the East in Adam's direction.

Adam dodged the incoming slash, sending an upward strike with Wilt towards the abdomen of the Legate. The blade merely ricocheted off of the powerful metal plate that protected his chest. He grabbed Adam by the wrist and threw him into the ground, before sending a curb stomp his way. He blocked the foot strike with Blush as he rolled out of the way, sending a few shots Lanius' way. As the mountain of a man started to charge the White Fang leader, Adam readied to strike the butcher of a Legate with his trade-mark move. He gripped Wilt tightly by the grip, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Lanius swung his blade, the crudely crafted metal clashing with the fine, red blade. Each warrior put as much weight as they could on each of their weapons. As Adam came to realize, this human was not just one of pure muscle, but also one of brute strategy, preferring to defeat his enemies with brute force and nothing else. He could tell that he had no chance at victory against Lanius in a battle of pure strength. He backed off, the Blade of the East crashing down into the sand below their feet.

Now Adam had his chance, he rushed forward, stopping the blade just an inch before the legate's throat, balancing himself on the giant sword.

"Close, but not quite there, boy." Lanius said as he rammed his metal helmet into Adam's head. The initial blow was stopped by Adam's horns, his left horn's tip being chipped off, a well of pain overflowing in Adam. He started to scream in pain, gripping the injured horn as his pup ran up to him to try and comfort him.

Just then, Vulpes ran up to Adam and took him over to the medical professional. "Come with me Adam, we'll take care of that." Vulpes said, leading Adam out of the Arena as Lanius watched the two of them exit the combat zone.

"Vulpes…" Adam said after the numbing agent was applied to his left horn. "When will we strike Zion?" Adam asked.

"In two days. We have already sent out the scouts to recon the cave which we escaped from then we will organize our attack." Vulpes explained. "I have asked Lanius to train you in combat. When we strike, you will lead the second strike on the Zion Confederacy." Vulpes continued.

"Who leads the first strike?" Adam asked.

"Lanius." Vulpes answered as Adam's pup jumped up on his bed and curled up on his chest to rest. Adam scratched behind the resting pup's ears. He found it oddly comforting to do so, enjoying the feeling of the pup's soft fur brushing his hand. The pup woke up and began to lick Adam's arm as a sort of thanks for his kindness to him.

"Since you will be bed bound for the rest of the day, you will not be able train your body, but you can still train your mind. Read this, it will help you." Vulpes said, handing him a book with the title _The Art of War_ , by a man by the name of Sun Tzu. Adam opened up the book and began to read the first few chapters as his pup continued to rest on his chest.

"And Adam, keep on fighting and you will be greatly rewarded." Vulpes said as he exited Adam's tent.

The next day, Adam awoke to the same man, Lanius ordering him to wake up and head over to the Arena. Adam placed the book on a table and walked over to the arena with his weapons at the ready.

As they clashed, Adam could feel the Legate applying more power and speed to his attacks then the day before. However, he was still able to dodge and counter nearly all of the attacks by Lanius. He ducked out of way as Lanius slammed his sword in a downward manor. Adam held up Wilt to stop the incoming attack dead in its tracks. He aimed for Lanius' head with Blush and continued to rapidly fire at the legate, every shot being blocked by his heavy metal helmet.

"Good, boy. Use that rage and turn it into battle prowess." Lanius teased as he sent a powerful kick to Adam's chest, sending him flying into the Arena wall. "Although you are but a boy, you fight like a man. No wonder Vulpes wanted you alive." Lanius continued as he slowly approached the bull fanus. Adam slid to the side and charged towards his side, but before Wilt should impale the Legate's side, Lanius turned, swatting Adam away as he hit him with the flat of his blade, sending him flying to another wall. Adam, however, remembered a line from the book "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak." Adam applied this mindset and gripped where he was hit tightly, groaning in pain.

Lanius approached Adam with his sword's blade being held over his neck. The second the legate began to push the sword down Adam sped forward, both avoiding the attack and getting a powerful slash on the side of the legate's leg. The Legate gave off no sign of pain or anguish, instead he continued to fight, sweeping his blade across the floor of the arena towards Adam's feet.

Adam jumped over the blade, lunging forward and impaling Lanius' other leg. The legate delivered and powerful elbow to the face, forcing Adam to block the attack with Wilt, giving the Legate and opening. He grabbed Adam by the chest and slammed him into the ground with a loud thud.

"That is all for today. Go to Vulpes for your remaining training." Lanius said as he walked out of the arena, giving no hint of his injuries. 'That human is quite the powerhouse.' Adam thought as he collected his weapons and walked towards Vulpes' tent. It was larger than Adam's but smaller than Lanius'. Two elite frumentarii guarded the entrance, and nodded at Adam to enter. As he did, he spotted two slaves washing Vulpes' shirtless chest as he read the scout report on the caves.

"Glad you could join me Adam, now it is time for you to train your mind once more." Vulpes said as he rose from his seat. "Have you ever heard of chess?" Vulpes asked as he lead Adam to a table which had many wooden pieces that were set up in a manner where one side with considerably more dark wood then the other, each side facing the other from opposite sides.

"No." Adam said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the Vulpes.

"Then allow me to teach you…" Vulpes said before explaining each piece, its strengths, weaknesses, how it moves and attacks. Once Adam had a grasp of the basics of one of the oldest games that the humans in this world played, he started to play.

After about five games which resulted in his defeat, Adam started to act more conservatively, waiting to use one of his favorite pieces, the knight, to infiltrate enemy lines. After three victories by the use of this strategy, he tried one more strategy utilizing the queen, and the two rooks to trap the king at the end game.

"You learn quite fast." Vulpes said before retiring to his bed for the rest of the day. "You may go to your tent for the rest of the day." Vulpes said as Adam walked out of the tent, but not before he noticed one of the slaves staring at him. When he turned to face her, she moved on to her work.

She had long, shiny black hair which reached down to her knees. She had a thin body and lean legs and arms. Her eyes were that of an ocean, a mixture of blue and green, she also had beautiful olive skin which only added to her appeal. 'If she was a fanus, I would take her as my own.' Adam thought before retreating to his tent. As he opened the tent flaps, his pup pounced on him, sending a barrage of licks his way. He noticed that his thick, grey fur was starting to grow on the pup's body. He placed it on the ground and walked over to his bed.

He took out Wilt and Blush and started to perform maintenance on them. As he cleaned his weapons, he began to think more about this Courier that the Burned Man mentioned. What was he like? How would he view fanus? How would he view Adam as a person? All these questions and more were spinning around in his head as finished his maintenance. He tucked himself into his bed as he fell asleep.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	14. The Final Battle of the Bulls

Thanks in a very large part to commanderpill for his assistance in the fight between Vulpes, Joshua, Six, Lanius and Adam.

Ilia Amitola

Ilia awoke the next morning from her bed, she was going to miss sleeping in a bed, but she had a good feeling that she would be back here soon. As she rose from her bed, she was greeted by an enthusiastic Fizz and a sleepy Sebastian without his helmet on. She moved from the room to the restaurant that Blake had mentioned the day before.

"I'll be back soon, Blake." Ilia whispered as she exited the room. The mute ranger and Ilia sat at the restaurant, Ilia ordered a cup of coffee while Sebastian simply pointed to a sausage that was on the menu. As they waited, Ilia's eyes moved to a clock that was on the wall. It read four o'clock AM.

"So, Sebastian, have you ever heard of the Courier before?" Ilia asked.

"Yes, heard on radio. Does good things for Mojave, wants to help people but can't with numbers he has. NCR and Legion putting pressure on him. Likes to help others." Sebastian signed to Ilia, the books she read helping her to understand what he was trying to tell her.

"He's seems like a nice guy, at least the way _you_ portray him. Have you heard any rumors about him? Anything that would tell me more about him?" Ilia asked as a nervous look was painted on Sebastian's face.

"He… doesn't like generals. Bad past with them. Don't like military leaders in general." Sebastian signed to the young fanus.

"Why is that?" Ilia asked, hoping to get some piece of his past.

"Just rumors… some say he's been threatened by a general once. Didn't kill him, but didn't leave him unharmed either." Sebastian signed in answer to Ilia.

"Like what type of threat?" Ilia asked.

"Death." Sebastian signed with a mortified look on his face.

"Has he encountered any other generals?" Ilia asked, Sebastian nodded his head.

"Two more. Both killed by him. First, Caesar, second, Lee Oliver." Sebastian signed as Ilia drank her coffee. "Killed Lee Oliver in front of his own troops. Threw him down Hoover Dam." Sebastian sighed as he ate his sausage. After they finished their breakfast, they set out for Zion, or more specifically, Courier Six.

As they trekked through the valley, a large swarm of orange winged creatures began to appear in the distance. Sebastian held up a fist, signifying an order to stop. She did so, not wishing to encounter the winged creatures.

"Did you see those things?" Ilia asked, Sebastian nodding in response. "What _are_ they?" Ilia asked, turning to Sebastian for the answer.

"Called Cazadors. Very deadly and very dangerous. Travel in swarms, overwhelm prey with sheer numbers. Sting extremely painful and poisonous." Sebastian signed. "Best way to kill is aim for wings, you ground them, makes them easier targets." Sebastian continued to sign.

Ilia unslung her assault carbine and aimed down the sights from behind cover. Sebastian took out his anti-material rifle and aimed down the scope.

"On three, one, two, THREE!" Ilia shouted, unleashing a hailstorm of bullets in the direction of the Cazador swarm, ripping through their wings and abdomens. Sebastian fired the fifty caliber rounds, each one shredding through the carapaces of the enlarged tarantula wasps.

Only a few remained, each of them being swatted down by Fizz's tendrils, his giant jaws crunching down on the bodies of the rabid Cazadors. As the dust cleared from the short skirmish, Ilia and Sebastian began to reload their weapons and move on.

"Why were there so many of them?" Ilia asked, a bit worried about the pure number of them.

"Corpses. Cazadores primarily scavengers, should be dead bodies near here." Sebastian signed.

"Well, let's try and fi-" Ilia said before she found what the Cazadors were feeding on. There were three dead men who appeared to be raiders based on their garb. One of the three's skin was completely black, as if he had been burned alive. A second one had his head blown off, only the stump of his neck remaining. The final one was the least harmed, but dead no less. He had a single bullet wound through his skull.

"Who could have done this?" Ilia asked, only for Sebastian to shrug. "Well, let's dispose of the bodies." Ilia said, dragging the burnt corpse to the side of the ledge. She pushed the burned man over the ledge, watching as his motionless corpse fell into the gorge. While Sebastian was dragging the headless man to the ledge, Fizz was enjoying a post-battle snack, munching on the body of the intact raider.

Once Fizz had finished his meal, the three of them moved onward towards Zion. It took them the rest of the day to reach the halfway point to their destination. As they set up a fire, Sebastian took off his helmet and placed it by the log he was sitting on. The fire pit was stationed against a wall of stone that protected it on one side. The other three sides were unhindered by any type of natural barriers. Ilia took a stick of iguana bits and began to roast it over the fire.

As she did this, Fizz gave off a yawn and sat at her feet to sleep. She had noticed that Fizz had grown to his full size, even his resting form giving off a bit of intimidation. Sebastian motioned at Ilia to get her attention. Once he had it, he moved his gloved hands to the side of the fire that was protected by a barrier. He then began to weave and move his fingers in an odd way. From what Ilia could tell, it wasn't any type of sign language, only for him to nod his head towards the natural wall.

Then she saw what he was doing. He was making shadow puppets to entertain her. As he played out scenes from comedies lost to time, Ilia giggled with laughter until the show had stopped.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Ilia said with a smile as he gave her a nod with a gleeful smile on his face. They made idle chatter for the next few minutes until they headed to bed. It was only until now that Ilia realized that she had left her sleeping bag back at the Lucky 38.

"Hey, Sebastian…" Ilia said getting his attention, his dark blue eyes staring into hers. "I forgot my sleeping bag, would you mind letting me borrow yours?" Ilia asked. Sebastian nodded giving her his sleeping bag as he slept on the dirt floor next to Ilia.

The next morning, Ilia was the first to wake up. She looked around the camp, finding the sleeping Sebastian very cute, from the way he held his head with his gloved hands, to his peaceful chest, rising and falling softly. She leaned down, intending to give him a secret kiss on the lips, only for his eyes to open when she was just inches away from her goal.

"Oh… hey, I was just… uh… checking you for injuries." Ilia said with a nervous smile, trying to give an excuse for her close proximity to his face.

"You aren't a good liar." Sebastian signed with a mute chuckle. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and began to pack up his sleeping bag. Ilia woke up Fizz with a pat on his head, the fully grown Wanamingo nuzzling his mother affectionately. As they continued to move through the valley, they reached a plateau that was connected to another by a single, wooden panel rope bridge. Just as they were about to cross it, when a few men wearing few clothes approached them. They wore only cargo shorts and ammo belts and each held a weapon, three holding hunting shotguns and the remaining four holding hunting rifles.

"Ave, what brings you owslanders to Zion?" One of the tribals asked, approaching Sebastian.

"We seek the Courier." Sebastian signed, surprising the leader of the group.

"You are a speaker of the palm? We don't see many owslanders that speak like that, but we can, come with us, Joshua will want to see you." The tribal said, leading them to the aforementioned 'Joshua'.

"Who is Joshua?" Ilia asked, wondering if he was Courier Six.

"He's the war chief of the Zion Confederacy." One of the tribals answered.

"Zion Confederacy?" Ilia asked, not having heard of this faction in the enclave notes.

"We are a collection of tribes that have formed an alliance for our protection. It is made up of the Sorrows, The Dead Horses, and the Amutas. The latter of which was a recent addition to the Confederacy." Another tribal explained as they arrived at the main camp. Ilia looked around, finding that the locals appeared to be readying themselves for battle, doing weapon maintenance, creating and maintaining ammunition, creating and repairing leather armor. What perplexed her was not all of this occurring around her, but rather three humans in the background of it all. Three humans which stuck out like sore thumb, were talking amongst each other.

One of the two women of the group wore a rattan cowboy hat, a breathing mask, authority glasses, an armored duster, leather boots and combat gloves. The other woman wore a beautiful pendant around her neck, she also wore a straw hat and a short coat and jeans. The finally member of the group, a man, wore the same cowboy hat as the first woman and the same glasses as her, however he had nothing covering his mouth. He wore a duster similar to the first woman, the woman's duster having a sort of symbol on its back, while the man's had the number 21 on it. He wore combat boots and black gloves on his hands. Both the first woman and the man wore an odd, tan contraption on their arm.

"Hey, Sebastian, what is that those two have on their arms?" Ilia asked, motioning towards the first woman and man.

"Pip-boy. Storage device, high tech stuff." Sebastian signed as they were moved past the three mysterious wastelanders and into the cave of thunder.

"You think he's the Courier?" Ilia asked, getting a nod from Sebastian before he started to sign.

"He's one of the few people who wears those things. Makes sense." Sebastian responded as they were led to Joshua Graham. They were brought in front of a man completely covered in bandages from head to toe.

"Joshua, this one, the ranger, is a palm speaker." One of the tribals said before leaving the cave.

"So… you can speak in sign?" Joshua asked the mute ranger.

"Yes, I can." Sebastian signed to the Burned Man.

"Do you know who I am, Ranger?" Joshua asked, his eyes boring into the eyepieces of Sebastian's helmet.

"Yes, you are the Burned Man." Sebastian signed.

"Are you still a Ranger of the Two-headed Bear, or are you a Nevada Ranger?" The Burned Man asked, interested in this Ranger. It was, after all, NCR Rangers that were a large part in his defeat, and thus wished to learn more of their existence.

"Nevada." Sebastian signed.

"Did you quit, or have the Rangers dissolved?" Joshua asked.

"Quit." Sebastian signed, glancing over at Ilia.

"Is she of some sort of importance to you?" Joshua asked, walking up to Ilia, allowing her to stare into his eyes, and he staring into hers.

"I am." Ilia said, glaring at the Burned Man.

"Good to know. Its smart to have someone you care about close to you. It keeps them safe, and you in good mental health." Joshua said, walking away from Ilia. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good." Joshua said, looking at the two of them with sympathetic eyes.

"What?" Ilia asked, more confused than anything.

"You two must keep close, for there is a war coming, and I would hate to see either of you two dead in its wake." Joshua said, leading them outside the cave.

As Joshua walked back into the cave, Ilia got Sebastian's attention.

"Well that was… odd." Ilia said, nervously laughing as she scratched the back of her head.

"Yes. Odd man, but respectable one no less." Sebastian sighed as he walked over to the fire where the three people sat. Ilia tapped the Courier's shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"Yes?" Six asked the young lady.

"You wouldn't happen to be Courier Six, would you?" Ilia asked, waiting with anticipation for the answer.

"Depends on who's asking…" Six said, leading her on, looking in her eyes as he tipped his authority glasses down so that their eyes could meet.

"Well, are you?" Ilia pressed, hoping to get a straight answer from the Courier.

"Come now Six, no need to tease the girl." The woman who wore the duster with the odd symbol.

"Alright, I'm Courier Six. Are you here for an autograph or something, cause if so I'd say you earned it." Six said with a tired voice.

"No, I'm here to see what type of person you are, but clearly you aren't what I thought you were." Ilia said in a huff before turning away from him.

"I'm sorry, I've just been so stressed lately with some things going on in Vegas right now." Six apologized. She turned back to face the Courier.

"I understand." Ilia said, approaching the Courier.

"So, what do you intend to do if 'I'm your type of guy'?" Six asked, handing Ilia some purified water.

"I join you." Ilia said before taking a sip from the water. She watched as Six's eyebrows began to slowly rise.

"Can you handle yourself in a fight?" Six asked, to receive a nod from Ilia. "Good, well I can help you get better, if you wish to join me that is." Six said, looking up at her. "And who is this? A ranger?" Six asked, motioning towards Sebastian.

"His name is Sebastian and he's my partner." Ilia said with a huff, hooking her arm around Sebastian's, much to the mute ranger's surprise.

"Oh, I can see that." Six said, hiding a snicker. Just then, a tribal approached Six, and began to whisper into his ear. "Hm… yes, yes… no, not that but… yea that'd be great." Six murmured to the tribal before they parted ways.

"What was that all about?" Cass asked as she got up from her seat at the fire.

"Joshua wants us to help lead an attack on the Legion." Six said as he materialized Maria and began to perform maintenance on it. Ilia and Sebastian just watched the Courier do his work. After that he began to organize his ammunition and sharpen his Katana's blade.

"Hey, Six, why are you performing maintenance right now?" Cinder asked.

"So that my weapons are at peak performance. I don't want them breaking or underperforming in the middle of a battle." Six explained as he materialized The Blade of the West. "That, and there's an _extremely_ high chance that I will meet Lanius on the battlefield." Six continued as he sharpened The Blade of the West.

"Legate Lanius?" Ilia asked, not knowing of the second legate.

"Young lady, do you know what the Latin word Lanius means?" Six asked, only to receive a 'no' from the young fanus.

"Butcher." Six responded with the most serious look she had seen from him yet.

"Good luck." Ilia said, waving goodbye to the Courier and his pals, until he spoke to her.

"If you wish to join me, then help me with this battle, I'm sure Joshua would appreciate it." Six said, walking up to her.

"I'm not a general, hell, I'm not even a _leader_. What can I do for the Burned Man?" Ilia asked.

" _You_ may not be a leader, but I'm sure your Ranger friend there has had some experience in that regard." Six said motioning towards Sebastian. "That, and I'm sure that Wanamingo of yours would certainly strike fear into the hearts of your foes. I have learned that the Amutas know sign language, which would mean the mute ranger could command them without having to make a sound other than the moving of feet." Six said, handing Ilia a pair of binoculars.

"From what I was told, we will strike at night, taking them by surprise. So, Ilia, will you join us?" Six asked, extending his hand to her. She looked into his caramel eyes and nodded her head, shaking the Courier's hand.

"Go meet with Joshua, he'll tell you all you need to know." Six said, leading Ilia and Sebastian back into the cave.

"Ah, the Ranger and the young woman." Joshua said, chuckling a little. "What brings you back into my house so soon after you left?" Joshua asked.

"The Courier convinced us to help you lead the Amutas into battle against the Legion." Ilia explained.

"Ah, the Courier, a good convincer. He will be leading the Sorrows, I, the Dead-Horses, and you wish to lead the Amutas. Interesting, very interesting. Why do you wish to do battle with the Legion?" Joshua asked as he circled the two of them.

"I have read up on the Legion, and I know that if they were to conquer New Vegas, it would only cause misery and pain to others." Ilia said, trying to put up one of her most convincing voices.

Joshua, unimpressed, decided to push for a more… honest explanation. "What reason would you have to care for the fate of New Vegas?" Joshua asked.

"I… I have a friend there, and I don't want to see her get hurt." Ilia said, dropping her façade.

"So, you wish to protect those you care for?" Joshua asked, only to get the surprising response of not only Ilia but the Ranger nodding. Even Ilia was surprised to see Sebastian answer a question that wasn't directed towards him.

"Good. You may lead the Amutas against the Legion. I have an agent that has managed to infiltrate the Legion's ranks. He will be the one who will open the gate for us to strike them tonight." Joshua said, handing Ilia a suppressed .45 Pistol with an extended magazine along with its holster.

She snapped it onto her waist and holstered the pistol. "You will lead the Amutas in providing over-watch for our ground troops. With their expertise in rifles and carbines, they will be best effective at medium to long range. The Ranger will lead the snipers to pick off the Legion's night guards, giving us the needed time to remain undetected. You will lead the fighters with carbines and automatic rifles and light machine guns to cover our escape. The Courier and I will lead the Dead Horses and Sorrows in their attack on the Legion forces by surprise." Joshua explained.

"When do we strike?" ilia asked, wanting a certain amount of time she had to prepare.

"In seven hours." Joshua answered. "Go get some sleep, this will be a long operation and you will need your energy." Joshua continued.

"Thank you." Ilia said, walking out of the cave. While she and the ranger went to go get some sleep, the Courier was wide awake, sharpening Blood-Nap and Chance's Knife. He would be leading the Sorrows directly into Legion territory. He would need all the weapons he could carry. He would need to go as quiet as possible, using his finesse with bladed weapons to quickly dispatch any remaining guards after the Amutas had taken them out. The plan was a simple, yet effective one. They would sneak into the Legion camp and slit the throats of the Legionaries. Both Joshua and Six knew they wouldn't get all of the Legionaries, and that once the camp was alerted, they would have to fight the Legion head on, something that the Legion was quite effective at.

Once that happened, the Amutas would assist the Sorrows and Dead Horses with suppressing fire. With the heavy weapons and powerful rifles of the Amutas, the Yaoi Gui gauntlets of the Sorrows, and the war clubs of the Dead Horses would be enough to obliterate the Legion forces. That's not mentioning their moral, which would start to leak when they realized that their comrades were already dead and would not come to help them but that won't be enough completely for them to surrender. The only way the Legionaries would surrender, would be if Lanius and the higher ups of the Legion were to be eliminated for the surrender of the cannon fodder.

What worried Six, was Cinder's safety. No doubt she could handle herself in combat, but he feared that she would be overwhelmed by the Legion's pure number of men. That's why he let Cass tag along, not to mention Rex and ED-E. Then a thought came to Six, Cinder could stay back and treat the wounded back in Zion, the benefits of doing this would be two fold. The first and most obvious benefit would be her safety. The second benefit would be she would be able to bring her path to forgiveness, and maybe those back at the Lucky 38 could at least view her with less hatred when they learned that Cinder was _helping_ others.

"Hey Cinder." Six said to get the young maiden's attention.

"Yes Six?" Cinder asked.

"I think it would be best to teach you some things I learned from the Followers of the Apocalypse." Six said, teaching her the many medical techniques he had learned from the organization of doctors. Cinder had learned all of the things Six had to share with her after two hours. Once they were done, Cinder advised the Courier to get some sleep, seeing the many bags forming under his eyes.

Six awoke four hours later, stretching his arms with a loud yawn. He got out of his sleeping bag, equipping his weapons. He had Blood-Nap and Chance's Knife, both in their sheaths, strapped onto his chest plate. He had his Katana by his side and The Blade of the West strapped onto his back, and Maria, loaded with armor piercing rounds holstered on his side.

He put on his rattan cowboy hat, patrolman glasses, his personal duster, his gloves, and his boots. Strapped on ammo belts which held more magazines with armor piercing rounds in them.

He made sure to check his stimpack and Med-X supply. Once he was sure he had enough medical supplies, he moved over to the Sorrows contingent. Before he started to lead his group, he moved over to Cinder and kissed her on her forehead as she slept. He lead the Sorrows along-side Joshua who led the Dead-Horses through the caves that led to the Legion Camp.

"Joshua, how long until we can expect Amutas support?" Six asked the Burned Man.

"I would say half an hour. They are already in their positions, but they need time to set up their encampments and to get to the best vantage point for sniping." Joshua explained.

"Gotcha. So, I was thinking, what happens after this?" Six asked.

"I suppose I will continue to act as the Zion Confederacy's war chief until I can find someone worthy to replace me or until I pass from the earth." Joshua said with a dry tone.

"I hope it's the former and not the latter." Six responded with hope as they reached the mouth of the cavern, getting even closer to the Legion encampment. Six looked down on his Pip-boy to find that only ten minutes had passed, meaning that the Amutas would be in position in twenty minutes. Time moved at a snail's pace, minutes feeling like hours as they traversed through the desert.

Once they got to their position, Six looked down at his Pip-boy once more, to find that the Amutas had got to their positions.

"Hey, Joshua, is there any way to tell if they are in position?" The Courier asked. As if to answer his question, he saw a small shimmering light shine from the top of a plateau.

"Yes, I taught them how to use mirrors and flashlights, like the ones you found for us in your first visit to Zion, to give signals." Joshua explained as he received the remaining signals.

"They should have taken out the guards by now." Joshua said with clear worry in his voice.

"Yea and the guide should have opened the gate as well." The sound of footsteps although faint warned the two legendary soldiers as they turned around using their pistols to kill two Frumentarii that tried to sneak up on them.

"DAMN IT, IT'S A TRAP JOSHUA PLAN B" Six yelled as he materialized A rocket launcher blowing the main gate allowing the troops to go in but also warning all those who slept.

Ilia was just outside the fort when she heard the explosion. Wondering what was going on she turned to the Amutas behind her to notice the Legion troops behind them. They already killed some of her men and she ordered her men to fire.

The Amutas, unlike to the Dead-Horses and Sorrows, were quite fond of heavy armor to accompany their heavy weapons. With this extra protection, they could easily destroy the lightly armed legion soldiers who tried to sneak up on them. Illia them ordered the Amutas into the legion camp allowing them to give time for the other two tribes of the Zion Confederacy to fall back to safety. Bullets ripped through the air, shredding through the armor of the recruit and prime legionaries. The front line of Amutas moved behind the second line, consisting of men using nothing but flamers, keeping the Melee soldiers at bay with a wave of fire as the front line reloaded their weapons.

While the Amutas were able to keep the Legion hordes at bay, they weren't gaining any ground. They needed to push forward in order to truly defeat the Legion.

"WE HAVE TO PUSH!" Ilia shouted, tossing a plasma grenade at a group of Legion Decanus. It exploded, leaving nothing but multiple piles of green goo. She pulled out her assault carbine and began to unleash a hellstorm of bullets through the right flank of the Legion lines. Her assault worked, the Legion forces seceding the flank to the Amutas, allowing the heavily armed tribals to burn the Legion supply caches.

The Amutas which used the flamers tossed firebombs into the Legion front lines all at once, causing panic amongst the main forces of the Legion. Those Amutas went back to their flamers, burning down the tents of the recruits, a large fire cutting through the fort, unimpeded by barriers or man. Many legionaries caught fire, their horrifying screams could be heard as they burned alive. The sight of their comrades being burned alive while gave some recruits fear they held fast as conditioning for this very moment and the greater fear of failure to the legate held them together.

As the remaining Legion forces began to retreat to higher ground, they were picked off by Amutas sharpshooters and the growing fire. As Joshua's forces began to advance, multiple Frumentarii began to start a pincer attack, only for them to be cut down by the Courier, wielding The Blade of the West in one hand, and his Katana in the other. It appeared as if he was dancing as he ducked and weaved, stabbing and slashing with the two blades in his hands. He continued to attack the Frumentarii until they were forced to retreat due to the continuous casualties.

"Continue the assault!" Six commanded, leading the Sorrows towards the centurion tents while the Dead Horses backed up the Sorrows as the Amutas kept up the pressure on the right flank of the Legion forces, keeping them on the defensive on both flanks.

As the Centurions and Frumentarii began their tactical retreat, letting the legionaries take all of the slack. Just then, Lanius came out of his tent with The Blade of the East in his hands. He dropped down to face Joshua and Six. While they had the initial counter attack he knew his force here was too small to survive the attack of the entire army of the confederacy he had no time to prepare as when he learned of the plot against him by the guide thanks to Vulpes he knew he had to hold off this force for the rest of his army to arrive As the plan was to split their forces into two and use the tunnels to strike a sneak attack of their own in their lands sadly however it seems they didn't act fast enough but if he could kill the Failure of a legate Joshua and the Courier he knew he would have won as the rival army would be demoralized for losing its leaders something that was same for his legion.

"So, the Courier and the failed Legate, both come here to meet their end." Lanius said with confidence.

"We have come to take you out, Lanius, prepare for your final battle." Six said with a confident smirk on his face. "Ecclesiastes 7:1." Joshua said, aiming his pistol at Lanius.

"My former." Lanius said with clear disgust in his voice. "Here you stand against the very legion you help create. How could you betray your very foundation Malpais."

Joshua answered simply. "You were the very legion who betrayed me. Cast me off for a single failure left me scarred." Lanius laughed at this

"So you still use the legion ways of hate to accomplish your goals you may hate us Malpais but you still are one of us."

Joshua shook his head. "I use to that is true. The Courier here showed me the value of mercy. So I will offer you this, stand down your arms and surrender and I promise you will live." It was not Lanius who answered but Vulpes as he emerged from his tent with his lightly armored with Frumentarii armor and a 12.7mm submachine gun along with his ripper. "While that seems a tempting offer we are true members of the legion Malpais. We shall not betray our legion."

Joshua turned to Vulpes. "The battle is lost for you, you cannot win surrender and save your lives."

Vulpes just laughed. "And return to the hospitality you had for me in your care? No I think not besides the battle is not lost once the rest of our army comes here you will be slaughtered in a pincer attack and the Zion confederacy will fall just like all those who stand against the legion."

They all raised their weapons at each other and Six spoke. "Not if we kill you."

"That's if you can." Vulpes simply stated and without warning he shot his gun and hid behind a pillar of rock.

"You have lead a good life, Malpase, now just lay down and die like a good dog." Vulpes said, trying to convince the Burned Man to give up without a fight. The Malpais Legate, however, was not convinced. He shot from his position from behind the stone pillar and fired, getting no hits as Vulpes ran behind his own pillar. Vulpes tried to advance on Joshua's position, until he was stopped by a spatter of bullets, forcing him back into cover.

Vulpes pulled out his ripper and charged at Joshua's position. He dashed to another pillar, just missing the roaring ripper by a few inches. He took out a curved gladius and took a Dead horse Club specially made for him as his was painted with symbols of fire.

Vulpes simply blocked the strike and all but broke the weapon. Vulpes smiled. "Spending too much time with tribals Malpais. Can't seem to have any worthwhile weapons." Joshua barely dodged the ripper. However Vulpes quickly switch his Strike and aimed for Joshua before it was blocked and he was pushed back he noticed the blade that Joshua now held. A weapon in the shape of a cross With Obvious latin that said "A Light in shining darkness." Joshua holding the blade in his right hand and his pistol with the same words on his right he spoke.

"The lords fighters always used the cross to defeat evil and these tribals know more than you think Vulpes, but that was the downfall of Caesar wasn't it? Failure to understand anything but his own selfish desires" Hearing his old master's name Vulpes scowled and charged Joshua.

Back with the Courier his fight with lanius just began. "Come to finally see the power of legion?" Lanius asked as he charged forward, beginning the battle by charging at Six with his giant sword. Six dove out of the way, parrying his foe's attack with The Blade of the West. While impaling Lanius' hand with his Katana. Six backed off, knowing the Legate to become more belligerent in combat when injured.

As predicted, the mountain of a man started to swing more ferociously, not landing any hits on the Courier. As they continued to fight, a certain bull fanus began to rise from his bed.

Adam Taurus

Adam awoke to an unknown person violently shaking him. As he opened his eyes, he realized it was the slave in Vulpes' tent that was shaking. He swatted her away with his hand as he got up from his bed.

"Human, what's happening?" Adam asked, the look on her face one of fear and horror.

"The base, it's being attacked! Please, get out of here!" The slave said, trying to save Adam.

"Why are you trying to save me?" Adam asked, a bit confused as to why a human slave was trying to save him.

"Please, just get out of here!" She begged as he grabbed Wilt and Blush.

"Why. Should. I?" Adam asked once more.

"Because I… I have a crush on you, and I don't want to see you dead. At least, then, I can be happy knowing that you are safe." The slave said, a few tears welling up in her eyes. Adam, along with his pup, walked out of his personal tent to find half of the base on fire and the other half consumed by a vicious battle between two sides, the Legion being the losing side.

He looked over to see Lanius fighting a man in a trench-coat who was wielding a sword as big as Lanius' in one hand, and a katana in his other. He watched as the two of them went at it, the man using the larger blade to block Lanius' blows and using the smaller Katana for attacks.

He also saw Joshua battling Vulpes and it was obvious that while Joshua was a warrior of his own, his legend came from his brutality and Endurace and one of which he no longer uses. While Vulpes was the Leader of the Frumentarii and he had much more elegant if somewhat brutish swigs with his ripper.

As he watched he saw that both Vulpes and Joshua saw him. "Aaa Adam how convenient here help me kill The Malpais legate once and forall and prove your worth to the legion."

"Don't Adam, help me I know the anger that flows through your heart but don't let it control you. Don't let that fire burn you like it has me remember what we spoke about. Vengeance is satisfying but peace brings something more." Joshua stated

"BA! Lies we all know that the world we want can only be achieved by force Adam! Remember who you are and remember what happened in your old world! Remember what peace achieved there and now remember what force achieved that is what you will gain if you help me." Adam hearing this was very convincing to him that was until Joshua said something that struck his very soul.

"But remember what it lost you." Adam stopped remembering Blake, his love who thought him a monster who sided with humans instead of his own kind a SCHNEE. Anger grew within him and he raised his gun and aimed. Before long he fired and someone fell.

One the ground was the form of Vulpes who was bleeding profusely from the lost of his leg. He looked up at Adam who walked up to him. "So you choose him… hmm should have known you were too weak to join the legion. You had such promise." Adam Narrowed his eyes.

"I chose those who didn't make me a slave." Vulpes chuckled although weakly.

"In the legion we are all slaves to the cause." He looked up at Adam. "We were so similar to you and your fang it's too bad you don't seem to care for your kind anymore." Those were the last words he had before his chest was blown to bits and the last thing he saw was the anger on Adam's face.

Not wasting time they rushed back to find the Courier fighting lanius. He was holding him back albeit barely. Lanius and Six noticed Joshua and Adam together. Taking this time to Throw Six away from him to the other two he stood before them. "So you betray the legion and I don't see Vulpes with you I assume he is dead. Hm. Serves him right for trying to use you. His plans never worked and now I shall rule the legion untested once I finish with you." They all aimed their weapons at Lanius. Lanius charged and attacked they all scattered trying to move out of the way of Lanius' charge, however, Adam failed to get away in time and was hit with the weapon that hurted him greatly. Joshua and Six go and help him but and swing from lanius pushed them back and he began putting pressure on Joshua. Six went in to help him and scored a good hit on lanius.

The strike severely cut his arm, but to their shock he used a stimpack. "Thought The legion hated drugs." Six stated

Lanius looked back to Six "I fight for Caesar not his legion and I will use whatever necessary to destroy his enemies he charged once again hitting Six with a great swing. Six blocked with the blade of the West but he is still pushed back. Joshua comes in and manages to pierce a piece of Lanius armor but the pain quickly angered Lanius and he backhanded Joshua. Adam getting back into the fight goes to jab Lanius, but he quickly turned around and sent a hard punch to Adam's face Disorienting him. He grabbed Adam by the collar and just like when they first met puts his massive blade to his neck.

"Familiar isn't? I should have done this when I first met you. Curse Vulpes for his foolishness." However as he was held there Adam noticed something A opening in Lanius helmet big enough for his blade. "Goodbye Bull." But before Lanius could slit his throat Adam put his own blade through the opening stabbing Lanius throat instead. As he did his Mask fell off and he saw the face of Lanius.

He saw as Lanius held his neck and dropped him Lanius gave one last look of hatred to Adam before the giant fell. A look that reminded of Adam of himself. As Lanius fell, so ended the legion.

He felt someone hug him from behind, looking behind him to find the slave girl wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"Please, free yourself before they come for you." She begged as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Human." Adam ordered, the slave girl looked up at him. "What is your name?" Adam asked.

"Allice." She responded, wiping some tears from her face.

"Come with me, Allice." Adam commanded as she did as he asked. He calmly walked over to Vulpes' tent, looking for something.

"What are you looking for, Mister Taurus?" Allice asked.

"The keys to your slave collar." Adam answered. While he still had contempt for humans, he could have use for someone who was willing to be so obedient to him like Allice. So he had decided to cement her loyalty towards him by freeing her from the slave collar clamped around her neck.

"Thank you so much, Master!" Allice explained with joy. She watched as he pulled out the key ring from a drawer in her former master's cabinet. He walked up to her and unlocked the collar, its restraints releasing with a click as it fell to the floor. She hugged him tightly trying to show him her gratitude.

As they were walking out of the tent, they were surrounded by Dead-Horses. Adam gripped his weapon, readying for a fight. Just as it would have started, none other than the Burned Man walked into the tent, placing himself between Adam and the Dead-Horses.

"Adam, it's been a while." Joshua said, extending a hand to him.

"Human. Who was that man who fought Lanius with us?" Adam asked.

"The Courier with whom I have referred to the last time we talked." Joshua answered.

"Are you going to let me go, or will I be your prisoner once more?" Adam asked with hostility, still holding Wilt and Blush.

"The small and the great are there, And the slave is free from his master." Joshua responded. "You and your companion are free to go, so long as you do not strike any of the tribals." Joshua said, leading Adam, Allice and his pup out of the tent.

"So, that man who helped me kill Lanius was the Courier?" Adam asked.

"Yes, he and Lanius had a promise pertaining to the next time they met." Joshua said, meeting Ilia, the Courier and their contingents of tribals outside of the now ruined Legion fort.

"Courier, I have someone who wishes to meet with you." Joshua explained as Adam approached Six.

"Courier, my companion and I wish to join you." Adam said with a stern voice.

"Strait to the point, I think I'm going to like you oh thanks for the help with Lanius by the way." Six said, extending a hand to Adam. "What's your name?" Six asked. "You can call me Six, Courier, or Courier Six." Six said.

"I am Adam Taurus, she is Allice, and this is my dog…" Adam paused, having not come up with a name for his puppy. "Unguis." Adam said, remembering his time in the white fang.

"Interesting name, that's Latin for fang, correct?" Six asked. Adam was impressed, the Courier knew Latin, a supposedly dead language. While the knowledge of the Courier may be extensive, what Adam wanted to know, was how his skill in combat was.

Adam nodded as he followed Six back to Zion. As he followed him, he made sure to analyze everything about him he could, from the way he walked to how he talked and his hand motions. He noticed how carefree and free-flowing he was, and yet there was an air of confidence and power. It perplexed him to no end, just adding more to the mystery of the Courier. When they arrived, he saw one of the people he never thought he would see, Cinder Fall. At first he thought he was mistaken, but upon further inspection it was indeed Cinder.

She was treating an injured Sorrow, wrapping the injury with bandages. Once she was finished, she looked up at him, noticing his continuous stare.

"Why hello there Adam, how has your time in this world treated you?" Cinder asked.

"I'm still living." Adam said tersely. "You've changed." Adam responded noticing how kind her voice was and not even in the evil sense either when she spoke in kind words.

"I guess I have. I've been trying to make up for my past deeds, all thanks to Six no less." Cinder said with a smile.

" _He's_ the one who convince you to change?" Adam asked in disbelief, Cinder nodding in response.

"So, I've heard you are going to be joining us, is that true?" Cinder asked the bull fanus.

"It is." Adam said. "I intend to learn something from him." Adam mentioned.

"And what is it you intend to learn?" Cinder asked.

"That is something only _I_ will be privy to." Adam deflected.

"Fine by me." Cinder said with a shrug as she accompanied Adam to check up on Allice. "So, she's your little helper?" Cinder asked with a sly smirk.

"I'm not his little helper! I'm his companion!" Allice said with a pout, tightly grabbing hold of Adam's arm. Adam felt Unguis rubbing against his leg before sitting down on his foot. He looked down at his canine companion and picked him up to look at him through his mask. Unguis simply licked Adam's face with a joyful look on his face before giving a happy bark. Adam gave off a very small smile and put him down, scratching behind his ears. Just then, Rex came trotting to the group, barking at Unguis, who barked back.

"So, you have a dog too?" Adam asked Cinder.

"I do, and he's quite the useful pet." Cinder said as Rex and Unguis started to play with each other. "But if I'm being honest, he was Six's pet first, he's trained him quite well." Cinder said to Adam. At this point, Allice was starting to get jealous about the way Master Taurus and this Cinder lady were talking as if they were on equal terms. In reality, Master Taurus would destroy her with his finesse and skill in combat. Her jealously finally grew to a boiling point when she decided to speak up.

"Stop talking to master Taurus!" Allice shouted with jealousy as she clutched to Adam even harder than before.

"Allice, let go, _now._ " Adam commanded, Allice quickly separating herself from Adam's arm.

"I'm sorry master Taurus, it won't happen again." Allice said with a bow. He rustled her hair with his hand, Allice looking up at him with confusion. Cinder gave the two of them some time alone as she went go find Six. She found him talking to Cass and Ilia, all three of them sitting by a raging campfire. She joined the Courier by the fire, telling him of Adam's decision to join him on his escapades.

"So, Adam wishes to join us? I don't see a problem with that." Six said, not seeing a problem with his request.

"But the Schnee's will have a _huge_ problem with that." Cinder said, trying to avoid being seen in a more negative light then she already was.

"How will we deal with that inevitable conflict?" Six asked, eating some squirrel bits.

"WAIT! You are harboring _Schnees_?!" Ilia asked with surprise and anger. Although she had changed her views on humans as a whole, she still did not forgive the Schnees for what they put fanus kind through.

"Yes, two of them if you must know." Six said, rubbing his temples with an annoyed look on his face. "Look, Ilia, you don't have to like them, you just have to _tolerate_ them, ok?" Six preemptively pleaded.

"If that's what you want…" Ilia said with a bit of a disappointed tone.

"And if _any_ of them start to fuck with you, come straight to me and I'll deal with it." Six said, hoping that they wouldn't harass Ilia. He liked her as a person and didn't want her to be deterred from him.

"Thanks, Six." Ilia said with a smile as Sebastian took a seat next to her.

"So, when are we going to go back?" Cass asked as she took a sip of whiskey.

"Once Adam's ready to go." Six said as Rex trotted to the fire, ED-E beeping happily at the arrival of Rex. Fizz walked up to ED-E and Rex, and began to talk to Rex and ED-E through growls and whines. Rex responded with barks and whines of his own, and ED-E using his emotive beeps. Ilia, Sebastian, Cinder and Six, watched the interactions between the three followers for a while.

In the cave before he left Joshua Came to Adam. "You are leaving." Joshua stated. Adam simply nodded. "While I wish you would stay as there is much more I could teach you one must find their own path to peace but before you go have this." Adam was Shocked as Joshua gave his old clothes back. "During our talks you spoke of this me and the dead horses found this in the ruined legion camp unaffected in Vulpes tent. We decided to armor it up some so it will help you on your travels one should never have to wear legion armor nor should one forget who they are which clothes show." Given the Cloths Adam looked up at Joshua and muttered something he never thought he would to a human.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me just remember our lessons and that will be thanks enough. May we meet again one day, god be with you." After that he left Adam got put on his clothes and walked out to the others Unguis walked up to Rex and gave a high-pitched bark, getting the attention of the other pets as Adam arrived with Allice following close behind.

"Glad you could join us, Adam. Are you ready to depart?" Six asked.

"I am." Adam said, watching as Six rise from his seat.

"Quick question, can that friend of yours fight?" Six asked, wanting to know if she needed to be protected or if she could hold her own. Adam turned to face her, signaling to her that she could answer.

"Of course, I can! My previous master, Vulpes Inculta, wanted me to become a Gladiator If only to show the weakness of women as he would say, and as such he trained me in close quarters combat." Allice said, pulling out two curved gladii, brandishing them in a way that showed she knew what she was doing.

"Good, you can fight with melee weapons, but can you fight with a firearm?" Six countered, only to receive and irritated glare from Allice as she pulled out a trail carbine.

"Nice, now let's get moving, but before we do, I need to give Joshua something." Six said, leading the group of six into the cave of thunder. He approached the Burned man, everyone watching as he greeted the ex-legate.

"What brings you here, Courier?" Joshua asked.

"Just making sure everything is fine before I leave. I was wondering, will the Legion be a problem, or are they gone for good?" Six asked him.

"I'm sure the Legion are defeated. The second force after hearing the death of Lanius and Vulpes fled. They're leaders have been killed and so there moral is gone. What my concern is, is that the tribes that they have conquered will begin to fight amongst each other. There is a chance that some of that in-fighting may bleed over into Zion, but I'm sure we can fend them off, maybe even add some of the more peaceful tribes to the Confederacy." Joshua said, throwing Six a strange pendant.

"What's this?" Six asked, a bit confused as to why Joshua gave him this.

"It's something from before the bombs fell, it is supposed to symbolize peace." Joshua said, going back to his work. Six looked closer at the pendant to see a white bird holding what seemed to be an branch of some kind. He shrugged and put it on, leading his team to the Lucky 38.

Yang Xiao Long

Yang awoke the next day to find Veronica not in the room. She put on her clothes and walked out of the room to find Veronica talking with Boone and Arcade. She hid behind the door frame, listening in on their conversation.

"I know, but I just think that _if_ it comes down to that, we shouldn't just leave Six to his own devices." Veronica argued with her arms crossed.

"But he has Cinder, he won't be alone." Arcade countered.

"Yea, but you of all people should know how mentally unstable Six can be if there isn't someone there to help him." Boone said sternly.

"I taught Cinder how to help the Courier with his… _issues._ " Arcade said.

"But did you teach her everything or just the basics?" Veronica asked.

"Just the basics." Arcade conceded.

"Look, all I'm saying is that we shouldn't leave Six. He's helped us _all_ , and with no benefit to him. I'm not saying he's perfect, but when the Enclave attacks, he will need our support, whether he realizes it or not." Veronica said with concern.

"I agree. There is something else I want to talk about." Boone said. "It's about the newest guests. They are becoming more and more belligerent, we all know what happened when he tried to talk to them." Boone said sternly, drawing exhausted sighs from Arcade and Veronica.

"I'm not going to kill them, I've done enough of that to last me a lifetime." Arcade said, drawing nods from both Veronica and Boone.

"So, what should we do? I'd feel guilty if we just casted them out of the Lucky 38." Veronica explained.

"Well, there is _one_ way, but I don't think you'll like it Boone." Arcade said nervously.

"What is it?" Boone asked, knowing where Arcade was going with it.

"We tell them about our pasts. It will help them to trust us more, and hopefully by extension, trust Six more." Arcade said, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Fine, but we only tell as much as we need to, ok?" Boone said with a stern voice.

"Yea… I understand." Arcade said, facing Veronica.

"I've already told Yang my past, I'm not sure how else to calm her down." Veronica said, nervously smiling.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can think of something. Now let's go back to our rooms." Arcade recommended as they each began to go back to their respective rooms.

Yang silently dashed back to her bed and quickly dove under the covers and Veronica was none the wiser. She pretended to be sleeping when Veronica entered the room. She sat down on Yang's bed and began to stroke her elegant, yellow hair as she began to talk to herself.

"Yang, if only you knew my true feelings for you…" Veronica whispered to herself, not knowing Yang was completely awake.

"You would know that… I love you." Veronica said as she Yang a soft kiss on the lips. Her eyes instinctively shot open with surprise, her façade now gone.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking, I just, I just wanted to-" Veronica's nervous ramblings were cut short as Yang gave a fiery and passionate kiss on the lips to Veronica, holding her tightly as their lips locked. Veronica collapsed on top of Yang, panting with exhaustion.

"How much of that did you hear?" Veronica asked, expecting her to only mention her confession of love.

"From the conversation in the lobby." Yang said, her tight grip starting to loosen.

"Fuck." Veronica cursed.

"I didn't know you were the type to cuss." Yang said with a confident smirk.

"I only ever do it when I'm with someone I love." Veronica said, giggling as if she had heard a very amusing joke.

"So… I hate to kill the mood, but we need to talk about Six." Veronica said, rising from the covers of the bed.

"I don't like him." Yang said with a pout, crossing her arms.

"You don't have to, but please, for both of our sake, try and tolerate him." Veronica pleaded.

"I'll try, for you." Yang said While she still doesn't like six or even Cinder maybe she should try and give them a chance, but that goes away if they do anything she doesn't agree with. Little did she and Veronica know, both Schnees were listening in on the conversation between the scribe, sharpshooter, and doctor.

Just a few doors down, Arcade was talking with Weiss.

"Where is Six?" Weiss asked like a soldier interrogating a prisoner.

"He's at Zion right now. He went there to try and reform Cinder and to help her 'get on the path of forgiveness'. As the Courier said." Arcade answered. Just then, the radios in the presidential suite durned on all at once.

" _This is a breaking news report from Zion._ " Mr. New Vegas said with is smooth voice. Everyone from Yang to Blake to Winter heard it. " _It is being reported that the Courier, alongside the Burned Man and a strange newcomer who had an ex-Ranger with her has defeated the Legion in a decisive victory. When asked how he did it, the Courier simply said 'Veni, Vidi, Vici'. The Burned Man made a statement say that with the Legion gone, there was a chance he could begin to rebuild New Canaan."_ Mr. New Vegas said with a chuckle.

" _Courier, this one's for you._ " Mr. New Vegas said as Big Iron began to play over the radio.

"Well, it looks like he cleaned out the Legion." Arcade said with a confident smirk.

"The Legion?" Weiss asked, having not heard of them until this point.

"Bad people in every respect, slavers, conquering crucifiers with a mean streak. Formed by a man formerly known as Edward Sallow, a former Followers of the Apocalypse member, was their leader. His reasoning was that the way that the government of the old world functioned and saw the problems of corruption within it. So, in an attempt to prevent those mistakes from being made again, he decided to form an older form of governance via the use of a political monolith, using a militaristic structure and assimilation to stabilize the region. However, he was killed by the Courier before his goal ever came to fruition, and now his entire army, Caesar's Legion, is gone with him, their fate, their history, and the history they have erased, all lost to the sands of the Mojave." Arcade said, finishing his monologue.

"So, he helped the Mojave?" Weiss asked, a bit confused.

"Yes, and no. Yes, because they can no longer terrorize the Mojave and its residents. No, because now the NCR no longer have someone to keep them occupied. With the naturally expansive nature of the NCR, it is only a matter of time until they set their sights on New Vegas. Maybe even declare all-out war on New Vegas in order to make it their main base of operations in the Mojave. However…" Arcade said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"If the Courier can somehow put the NCR against the Enclave, then he might be able to buy himself more time to prepare for the inevitable NCR invasion. However, it would take one hell of charismatic man to negotiate something like that." Arcade reasoned.

"So, there is a higher chance that the NCR will attack us now that the Legion is gone?" Weiss asked, receiving a nod from Arcade.

"Weiss… I need to tell you something… important." Arcade said, not wanting to do this, but realizing the importance of the action he was about to take.

"What about?" Weiss asked, knowing full well what he was going to tell her, but she needed to feign ignorance of the chat he had with Boone and Veronica.

"My… past. Have you ever wondered why I am so familiar with the Enclave?" Arcade asked.

"Because you fought against them so often?" Weiss asked. Again, she had an idea where this was going, but she couldn't break her façade just yet. She had to wait for the perfect time. Arcade gave a heavy sigh before telling her about himself.

"No. I was born into the Enclave as a child at Navarro. My father was killed during one of his patrols, and the rest of his squad decided to take me in as their own. They helped to raise me. They trained me how to use energy weapons, which is why I have such good aim with them. When the NCR invaded Navarro, my father's squad and I were forced to flee into the Mojave. Once I was of age, they let me go on my own path as they scattered throughout the Mojave Wasteland. Upon learning what the people that had raised me had done, I decided to try and make up for their actions by joining the Followers of the Apocalypse. It felt good to help others, and so I stayed with the Freeside chapter until the Courier came to me with his 'Affliction'." Arcade said, taking a sip of water.

"Why are you telling me this?" Weiss asked, continuing to keep up her mask of ignorance.

"Because I remember you mentioned that you were a part of a very despised family back in your world, and I thought that you would be able to understand where I was coming from." Arcade said, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh. Well, thanks I guess." Weiss said, a bit surprised he had remembered she had said that.

"Don't mention it, you want to go get some something to eat?" Arcade asked, receiving a nod from Weiss.

Just one door down, Winter was having a discussion with Boone. Before they had their discussion, the radio broadcast from Mr. New Vegas. Once the broadcast had finished, Winter noticed that Boone had a wide smile on his face.

"What's so amusing?" Winter asked.

"He just finished off the Legion for good, meaning no one else will be enslaved and tortured by them." Boone said with a confident smirk.

"Tell me, why did you decide to quit the military?" Winter asked, sitting on the bed next to him. Boone sighed, this would be a long and arduous task, explaining to an army personnel why he quit the military.

"I'll tell you, but only if you listen to it _all_ and don't interrupt me until I'm finished, understand?" Boone asked, Winter nodding.

"It all started at the massacre at Bitter Springs. The Great Khans, a raider group out of the California Wastes that had been raiding NCR territories in the Mojave. So, the NCR military decided to eliminate them once and for all. My group was positioned on Coyote Tail Ridge, we were given the order to shoot on sight _anyone_ who we saw trying to escape through the canyon 37. What we didn't know was that the Khans were moving their kids, women, and wounded through the canyon. We noticed that they weren't combatants, but command did not understand and ordered us to fire until we ran out of ammunition… so we did. I watched as the children and women fell to the ground, devoid of any signs of life. I had killed _children_ , Winter, children. After that I decided to quit the military and live out the rest of my life looking over a town. I went to the strip one day to drown out my sorrows with a good, stiff drink, only to meet a beautiful young lady by the name of Carla." Boone said with a nostalgic smile gracing his face.

"She was everything I wasn't, and we eventually fell in love, and married. I _thought_ that my life was taking a turn for the better, but in reality this was just a quick intermission from my miserable life. The best thing about Carla, was that just being with her helped me to forget about the things I had done, she had a therapeutic aura that surrounded her whenever I was near her. The thing is… I never told her about Bitter Springs. I should have, she would have helped me through it. Then, one day, I decided I would tell her about what happened in Bitter Springs, but it was too late. During my watch, the Legion had snuck into my house and stole my wife who was pregnant with my child. I took my leave and tracked my dear Carla down to a Legion outpost. She was being bided on as to who would buy her. I wouldn't have been able to rescue her, due to the hundreds of Legionaries swarming the area. I couldn't bare knowing she would be some Legion bastard's slave, so I did the only thing I could do, the only thing I was good at, I aimed down the scope, lined up my shot, and fired. Everything slowed down, her body hitting the ground, the bullet burrowing through her skull, the panic within the outpost." Boone finished, unable to talk any further due to the stream of tears coming from his eyes.

Winter looked over at the man with sorrow-filled eyes. She rubbed his back to comfort him as he wept. Once he was finished with his mourning, he explained to Winter one more thing.

"Remember when I said that the Courier had helped me out with something personal? Well, he had managed to find the one who had sold Carla to the Legion. He brought that _bitch_ out in front of the dinosaur, and killed her. He had helped me finish the last part of my vengeance. He may not be perfect, but he can be a generous man when he wants to be, and on rare occasion, even care for people he had not encountered before. The fact that he didn't kill you is all the more reason to try and make up for what you did to Cinder and Six. You don't have to like her, but you _have_ to tolerate her." Boone said, sighing heavily Hoping what he told will help convince them.


	15. A Rough Home

Adam Taurus

Adam was following the Courier to a place referred to as 'The Lucky 38'. He had never heard of it before, but from what Alice told him, it was a towering monolith that lit up the Mojave nights, only the most influential and powerful people have ever gotten an invitation to grace its halls. However, Adam was going to not only _visit_ the Lucky 38, but have a permanent residency within the monolith. Although he hated being indebted to humans, being within the halls of the Lucky 38 would provide constant safety from the dangers of the Wastes.

Then there was Allice. She was a good subordinate, doing whatever he ordered her to, and without any back-talk, either. It was interesting, having a human so willingly submit to the authority of a fanus. There was one thing that he actually _liked_ about Alice, and that was how infatuated she was with him, not to mention her looks. Although he was a man of discipline, it was surprisingly hard to not indulge his… lustful side with her. It didn't help that they slept in the same sleeping bag, _and_ how she would shift in her sleep. He would have to wait until they reached the Lucky 38, there he would have his fun.

"Courier, I have a question for you." Adam said, getting Six's attention.

"Shoot." Six said.

"How did you prevent yourself from going through with revenge?" Adam asked, thinking of his love, and that dumb, human blonde whose arm he cut off.

"Well, it took some time, the first time I succumbed to the allure of revenge. However, once I had walked _my_ path in the Divide, I took a more benevolent route. The reason why I did not kill _him_ was because I wished to learn about his past, and any history from the old world that he may have had. I remember what he asked me once we met face to face. 'Who are you, who does not know your history?'" Six said doing his best Ulysses imitation, which by any standard was terrible.

"The Divide? What is that place?" Adam asked Six, who simply held his hand up and shook his head.

"All will be told in due time, at the Lucky 38, to be exact." Six said, motioning for the group to stop.

"What is it?" Ilia asked, only for Six to nod forward, wanting them to look forward. "My god…" Ilia said with horror as she looked on a slave caravan. There were at least fifteen slaves, all wearing explosive collars. Their collars were connected by metal chains, linking them all in one long chain. They were accompanied by at least thirty slavers, all of which were holding Chinese assault rifles, some of which had bayonets on them, while others did not.

"We should do something." Ilia said, drawing a raised eyebrow from Adam. Ilia wanting to help humans? This wasn't the Ilia that Adam had met. He looked over to Alice, who was staying extremely close to him with Unguis following behind her. He looked over to the Courier to see what he would say.

"Well, we better act fast. Cinder, Sebastian, get up on that ridge to provide over watch for us. Ilia, take cover behind those rocks under the ridge. Cass, take cover over here. Adam, Allice, come with me." Six said as he took out Maria and his Katana. Alice took out her two, curved gladii while Adam took out Wilt and Blush, tightly gripping Wilt's handle. Six took out a flare gun and fired at the leading slaver. The man instantly lit aflame. He began to scream in pain as the fire devoured his flesh. Cinder began to rain down arrows on the men on the left flank, Sebastian firing down with his anti-material rifle, ripping through two men at a time. Ilia began to unleash a hailstorm of bullets from her assault carbine. Six ran forward with Katana and Maria in hand, impaling one of the larger men with the Japanese blade. Two more charged him, only to be shot twice in the head as they fell to the ground.

Adam turned his sights on five men who started to stalk around him with their weapons aimed directly at him. As they neared, Adam got ready to finish them off with a single blow. They all stopped at once, aimed and sent a suppressing stream of bullets at Adam. However, the slavers failed to realize that Adam was already gone, the smoke from their muzzles shrouding his true location. He aimed Blush at the head of one of the slavers, blowing a giant hole in the back of his head. The remaining four swiveled their head, continuing their fire. Adam dove under the layer of bullets, disconnecting two men from their feet. Another slaver entered the fray to assist his two remaining comrades. He charged Adam with a bayoneted Chinese assault rifle. He took a lunge at Adam, only for the strike to be parried and repulsed, knocking the man off balance, firing three rounds through his chest. Adam charged at the remaining two, impaling them with Wilt, making a human skewer. He looked over to where Allice was fighting. He had to admit, she could certainly hold her own. She was currently fighting off three men who were using Chinese officer swords.

Allice ducked and weaved around the three slavers, using her well-trained dexterity and agility to out maneuver them. She beheaded one of the slavers with her two curved gladii. She blocked an incoming stab with her weapons, then she tightly wrapped her arm around one of the slaver's necks, rotating around the neck to deliver a powerful kick to the second slaver's throat, temporarily stunning him. She impaled him with her gladii, a sadistic grin painted on her face. She slowly walked over to the stunned slaver and dove her gladii into his eyes.

Then he looked over to Six to see him taking on no less than _ten_ slavers who had all surrounded him. One of the men was waving a metal ball with a long chain attached to it around. Every few seconds he would send it in Six's direction, Six ducking out of the way. The remaining slavers had Chinese pistols, firing in his direction. The Courier ducked, four of the ten men shot each other like idiots. The man with ball and chain ordered the remaining five to charge Six, only for them to be blown away by a highly explosive grenade fired from Thump-Thump.

"So, you are the Courier, correct?" The man asked, sending the chained ball directly at Six.

"Oh, so you know of me?" Six retorted sarcastically as he fired a grenade at the metal ball. It exploded, turning the ball of metal into a metal claw, the metal contorting to give it that appearance. The man jerked on the chain, the claw ripping into Six's side. He could feel the auto-inject stimpak working its magic as he equipped two protonic inversal axes and charged directly at the man.

"HA! She didn't tell me you were this fucking dumb!" The man taunted as Six hit the chain with the electric blade. The electricity spread throughout the chain, electrocuting the man, forcing him to drop the chain.

"You bastard! I'm going to fucking rip you apart!" The man shouted as he charged at Six. Adam watched as the Courier just stood there with his fists held up in a defensive position. As the man took his first swing, the Courier grabbed his arm and twisted it to the point of breaking the bone and tearing the ligament and muscles. He screamed in pain Six let go of his arm. He started to wind up for a swing, only for the Courier to use the Khan trick as he took a hand full of sand and threw it into the man's face. As he tried to desperately get it out of his eyes, the Courier use the Legion Assault technique on the man, followed by the Ranger Takedown. Then Six materialized Chance's Knife and stabbed him in the side of the neck.

"Sh-she never told me you were this strong…" Was all the man could choke out before he bit the bullet.

'She?' Six thought, making sure to remember that.

After he had made sure the man was dead, he looked around him as the dust from the battle began to settle, he started to look for the key to the slave's chains.

"Six…" Cinder said, a bit nervous.

"Yea, what is it?" Six asked, pulling out the key ring.

"You're going to want to see this." Cinder said, motioning towards the slaves. In the heat of battle, Six had forgotten about the slaves, and for such a folly, now seven slaves lay dead.

"Fuck." Six said, walking towards the living slaves. Adam watched how gentle he was with the slaves, applying the softest of touches to turn the key. After Six had freed them, one of the men approached Adam. He expected them to spit at him or curse him out, but instead they presented him with a bottle of purified water.

"Please, take this. We managed to hide it from the slavers and were going to use it, but we think that it would be of better use with you." The man said, handing Adam the bottle of water.

"Thanks…" Adam said, unable to say anything else. It was the first time a human had given him something as a gift. They led the remaining eight slaves to the nearest settlement and moved on towards the Lucky 38. As they did so, a certain female watched them in the distance.

"That's right, Courier, go home. Just make sure you don't burn your house down." She said before walking in a more direct path to a hidden base just outside of New Vegas. "Just be sure you can defend your house." She murmured with anger, gritting her teeth. "And hope those you love don't die in the battle to come." She said, activating a stealth boy.

Winter Schnee

Winter was in one of the many training rooms just two floors under the Presidential suite. She was practicing with her sabers, slashing and swiping at training dummies which were placed on a giant floor which had rails and paths which the dummies would choose at random. They were unpredictable, and because of that, they were perfect training targets for the veteran Atlesian specialist.

As a dummy came at her by the side, rapidly swinging at her. She parried the blow and slashed at the neck of the dummy, the wooden foe retreating into the floor, only to be replaced by five of his comrades. As she continued to train, her mind wandered to Boone, and what he had told her about his time in the military. The massacre at Bitter Springs, he was forced to kill innocents only because his superiors didn't understand. Her mind went to general Ironwood, and what happened at Beacon. Was what happened at Beacon partially the General's fault? It was _his_ robots that turned on the Atlesian troops. But that was the doing of Cinder and her crew, but should he have brought them to Vale in the first place? Had he not, the casualties might not have been that high. She continued to fight off the dummies, not realizing that a certain doctor was watching her.

"So, is this how you blow off steam?" Arcade asked, catching Winter by surprise as a dummy smacked her in the face before she took off its head.

"That is none of your concern, Doctor Gannon." Winter said sternly as she approached him.

"Oh? I would beg to differ. The mental and physical well-being of all of those who take up permanent residency within the Lucky 38, is most certainly my concern." Arcade countered, handing Winter a small towel. She snatched it from his hand, and started to wipe away her sweat.

"If you are here, then who is with my sister?" Winter asked with concern.

"Boone. We decided to switch places today. So he'll be staying with your sister and I will be staying with you for the day." Arcade said, leading her to the elevator.

"Is this about my _actions_ as of late?" Winter asked with her arms crossed with anger.

"No, as I said before, I am only here to make sure you are of a sound mind. There is something else that I want to know about you, why did you join the military?" Arcade asked as Winter gave him a dirty look.

"Well, if you _must_ know, I joined to get away from my father, and to spite him." Winter said with confidence.

"So, neither you nor your sister seem to like your father, would it be wrong to ask why?" Arcade questioned.

"My father had a… tendency to be an authoritarian parenting style. You can guess how well that worked out for my sister and I." Winter said as the elevator arrived at the presidential suite.

"Yes, the constant shouting and put-downs didn't do well for your sister's self-confidence." Arcade said as he led Winter to her room. "I have just one more question for you, if you could, would you want to go back to your world?" Arcade asked.

"Of course, I would! Is there a way to get back?!" Winter asked with excitement.

"I'm afraid not, but considering the technology that Six has at his disposal, I'm sure he could find something to get you and your group back." Arcade said, giving her some hope.

"What do you mean, the technology he has at his disposal?" Winter asked, only to get a chuckle from the Doctor.

"The Big Empty. Six can go there at will. There is a think tank of the old world's best scientists in the Big Empty, and he can probably convince them to get something started. It might take months, even years for them to finish, but Six has been complaining about keeping the Think Tank occupied." Arcade said, raising an eyebrow. "But you will have to ask him, and he will consider that a favor." Arcade said with a sigh.

"Is there a problem with asking him a favor?" Winter asked, only to realize the fault in her logic. Everything she had done to the Courier, from trying to kill Cinder, to kidnapping him, wasn't something that Six would take as kind gestures.

"Considering your current standing with the Courier, you will have to repay him in some manner." Arcade said.

"What would he make me do?" Winter asked with a bit of concerned.

"Who knows? Maybe he'll be lenient and send you out to help the locals or go on a scouting mission." Arcade said optimistically.

"And if he's not?" Winter asked, a bit worried about what the Courier might ask her to do if he was feeling less kind that day.

"Vault reconnaissance." Arcade said grimly.

"So he would send me to look after his money? Doesn't seem so ba-" Winter said before she was interrupted by Arcade.

"Not _that_ type of vault. Vaults that hold-" Arcade said before correcting himself. " _Used_ to hold humans. There are a few scattered around the Mojave, and it would take at least a week to check up on all of them." Arcade explained.

"And what would I be looking for exactly?" Winter asked.

"Inhabitants, creatures, and in some cases the things that grew within them." Arcade answered as he took a drink of water. "And if you're lucky, you might just survive." He finished.

"So, let me get this straight, if he forgot or forgave me for my actions, I'll get something close and easy, but if he's feeling spiteful I'm going to get a suicide mission?" Winter asked for confirmation.

"Only if you ask him for a favor." Arcade corrected.

"Right…" Winter said as Weiss and Boone walked into the room.

"How did you sleep, sister?" Weiss asked. Winter realized that she woke up at about one in the morning and started her training then.

"I slept well." Winter lied, trying to deflect the conversation towards her sister. "How about you?" She asked.

"Oh, I slept quite peacefully. Arcade, might I ask why you brought us all together?" Weiss asked.

"Well… I thought that is should have a talk to you two about something _very_ important should you ever find a way to go back to your world." Arcade said.

"What might that be?" Boone asked, a bit interested in what Arcade was getting at.

"Do. Not. Come. Back." Arcade said, letting each word slowly sink in.

"Excuse me?!" Winter said with exasperation.

"Your sister has told me about the creatures of Grimm. If they were to somehow get into the Mojave they would wreak havoc. They are attracted by negative emotions, right? So what do you think would happen if creatures like that, were to inhabit a place and era, where negative emotions are commonplace? Sure, some settlements might be able to hold the Grimm off due to their better weaponry and superior training, but the constant warring with them would drag any remaining moral down to the very bottom. Also, the news of smaller settlements falling around the larger ones, they would start to get a 'it's only a matter of time' mentality." Arcade explained.

"That would make sense." Weiss said. "And not to be that person, but this place isn't exactly the best environment to live in." Weiss said, only to receive affirmative shrugs from Arcade and Boone.

Ilia Amitola

As Ilia was following Six to the Lucky 38, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. It was a creepy feeling, her hair standing on edge as the feeling refused to go away. She decided to ask the Courier if he felt that he was being stalked.

"Hey, Six, do you have the feeling that you're being followed?" Ilia asked, only for Six to chuckle.

"Well you guys _are_ kind of following me right now…" Six said with an amused grin on his face.

"That's not what I mean." Ilia said.

"Oh, you mean the guy stalking us from the cliff tops? Oh, yea, I've got my eye on him for a while now." Six said much to the shock of the rest of the group.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Cass asked with exasperation.

"Because if you're being followed and know it, it's better to let the person _think_ you don't notice them so that when they decide to strike, you can catch them off guard." Six explained as he led them around a corner.

"By the way, some of you will have to share beds with each other when we get to the Lucky 38." Six said, only to get a gleeful cheer from Allice, who looked up at Adam with a joyous grin on her face.

The rest of the day went by without any more interruptions. The large group decided to set up camp for the night by a large fire pit. They watched as Rex, ED-E, Unguis and Fizz played with each other by the fire as Six told one of his stories.

"So, I was at the entrance of Vault 22, and as I got closer, I realized that there was an excessive amount of growth which extended from the opened Vault door. As I crept into the seemingly abandoned vault, I realized that this one was most likely dedicated to creating a sustainable food source. However, the vault dwellers failed to find such a solution, but what they _did_ do was inadvertently turn their fellow friends and families into abominations. They were coated with a lush green, almost as if they were covered in some type of spore. They were feral to the very core, attacking anything on sight, just as they did with me. I found a ghoul doctor who was trying to destroy the vault. I decided to help her, but only on the condition that I could get the data that the vault dwellers had managed to collect. So, I took the information, the ghoul doctor none the wiser, and then we destroyed the vault from the inside, burning the plant and spore overgrowth down to a crisp, preventing it from eventually taking over the Mojave." Six concluded as he took a sip of Nuka-Cola.

"Got a story that is actually interesting, Courier?" Adam asked as he cleaned Wilt and Blush.

"Ouch, that almost hurt Adam!" Six said sarcastically, gripping his chest theatrically.

"Oh, I got an interesting one alright, but it will have to wait until we get to the Lucky 38." Six said, grabbing a gecko steak.

"Do you think that guy is still following us?" Ilia asked with worry.

"Undoubtedly. We should go to bed now and wake up extremely early, so as to throw him off his natural body clock, either he wakes up near the time we do and he is tired for the rest of the day, and he will eventually make a mistake, or he wakes up well after we are on our way and he loses us." Six explained before he and Cinder got into the Courier's sleeping bag. Allice led Adam to her sleeping bag as she hugged him from behind, protected by the sleeping bag to her back and Adam to her front. Ilia, Sebastian, and Cass got into their respective sleeping bags and drifted off into sleep.

As Cinder slept, another vision of the Courier invaded her dreams. This one was by far the most interesting. She watched silently as Six faced five floating brains with multiple monitors displaying eyes a pair of lips for each brain. She listened as he debated scientific theories with the brains. Once he finished, the Courier walked out of the giant dome to a scarred land-scape dotted with buildings, pipes, and monoliths. It was strangely beautiful, its scientific design a very refreshing sight from the ruins and sands of the Mojave. She watched as he butchered robots and humans alike as he walked towards a large artillery array. She watched as he loaded a shell and fired it.

She continued to follow him, watching as he reached the impact crater and scoop up some of the residue in a jar and seal it. He walked back to the dome and handed one of the brains the residue as it took it to its room.

She woke up to sound of Six shifting in his sleep. Cinder climbed out of the sleeping bag and walked over to Rex who sat at her feet with his head cocked in confusion.

"Come here." Cinder commanded as Rex did as she asked. Once he was close enough, she started to scratch behind his ears, which he took a liking to. "It's nice at night, isn't it?" Cinder asked herself as she began to stroke Rex's back. "I only wish it could stay like this, peaceful. But that's impossible with all of the conflicts and histories behind all of the remaining factions. I just hope- no I _want_ for everything to end like a fairytale. Happily ever after." Cinder said with a smile as she finished petting Rex and got back into Six's sleeping bag, snuggling with him.

Two hours later the group woke up and moved on towards the Lucky 38. After about three hours of walking, Six broke the silence with an optimistic statement.

"It seems we've lost our stalker." Six said with an optimistic tone.

"How much longer until we reach the Lucky 38?" Adam asked.

"I'd say we should arrive by nightfall, so long as we keep on walking." Six explained as he led them through the ruins of northern Vegas. As they weaved through the collapsed and crumbling buildings, a realization came to Ilia. This world, Earth as it was called, was once a great one. Highly advanced civilizations ruled and the people of those civilizations lived great lives. However, those civilizations were gone now, replaced by crumbling and neglected infrastructure, the people splitting into small and divisive tribes, warring with each other. It was tragic to see, but it was something that she could bring to Remnant, using this world's history to prevent any future conflicts in Remnant. But only if they believed her.

Ilia wondered if this world could ever recover from what had caused all of this destruction. She then realized she had never asked or learned _what_ had caused this place to become a wasteland.

"Hey, Six, do you know what caused 'this'?" Ilia said, referring to the Mojave wasteland.

"Hm. Yes, the great war." Six answered concisely.

"What was the great war?" Ilia asked.

"Do they have a version of hell in your world?" Six asked, only to receive a 'no' from Ilia.

"Well, it's a place that is referred to in religious text where, and I quote, _Is filled with fire and brimstone, and where all sinners go after their death_." Six said, continuing his explanation of the Great War. "Well, the great war was two whole hours of hellfire that rained from the sky, destroying all of civilization." Six finished.

"It only took two hours?!" Ilia asked with disbelief.

"Yes, you see, during the second world war the United States of America created the atomic bomb. That was what would start all of this. A bomb of unimaginable power. We dropped two of them, one on Nagasaki and another on Hiroshima. They destroyed the cities within seconds. The only remains of human life that remained were the shadows that their bodies created from the blinding flash of the explosion from those bombs. It only took the end of the war to start a far more discreet and yet far more malicious. Ever since that bomb was made, it would only increase the number of such weapons, and the potency of said weapons. The natural escalation occurred, and by the end of the twenty first century, there were enough of those weapons to destroy this world twelve times over. In the end, nobody knew who fired the first shot, but it hardly matters. What _does_ matter, is what happened, this." Six said, mentioning the Mojave Wasteland.

"Just proves that humans can't handle the power they are given." Adam said with certainty, only to be countered by Six.

"Not necessarily. The humans that _were_ in power, yes, but not all of them. You shouldn't tar all humans with the same brush, just as you would not like for all fanus to be tarred with the same brush. Practice what you preach Adam, practice what you preach." Six said, getting the attention of the bull fanus.

"Why should I when my people have been oppressed by the _losers_ of a war." Adam said, rage building within him.

"History is written by the observers, propaganda is written by the winners." Six said, finally blow the cap off of Adam's bottle of rage.

"SO YOU THI-" Adam said only for Six to interrupt him.

"No. I believe that your people were given a shit deal, one that they most certainly did not deserve. But screaming at me, someone who has never been to your world, about the injustices wrought upon your people by humans of your world will gain you nothing. Forgiving those who have wronged you is a heavy and difficult feat to do, however, once you do, you will find yourself at peace. If you value what I say as much as what Joshua says, then listen to me. If you wish to _ever_ find your peace, you _must_ forgive them. Not only will you be at peace, but you will have the moral high ground. It is only when movements become violent that people start to withdraw their support for said movements." Six said with a booming and commanding voice directed straight at Adam.

Adam's anger began to trickle out of him as his senses began to turn back to normal. He felt Allice holding his arm tightly. He looked down at her to see a look of concern on her face as she looked up at him.

"Are you ok, Adam?" She whispered to him.

"Yes, I'm fine. Do not worry." Adam said with false confidence to reassure his subordinate.

"Ok…" Allice said, lightening up on her grip on Adam's arm. She could have sworn that she saw him smile out of the corner of her eye, but she assumed that it just her eyes playing tricks on her.

?

"Please… I told you all I know. So please… just let us go." A young girl with emerald green hair and bright red eyes begged as she was struck once more with an electrified police baton. "AAAAAAAAAH!" The young girl screamed in pain, tears of anguish running down her cheeks. Her torturer approached her with a wicked smile of ill intent on her face.

"Don't worry dear. You've got a good body, so I'm sure you'll be bought quickly and fucked to death. But until then, you're _my_ bitch." The torturer cackled as she pressed into one of the many deep cuts on her stomach. The poor girl squirming in pain before she stopped and turned to a young man with silver spiky hair and two prosthetic legs.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm going to make your little boyfriend here my personal sex slave." Six said with the malicious grin on her face not going away.

"And as for them?" She said, pointing to two more people who were in the same situation as the green haired girl and the silver haired boy. They were all in what could be considered a lightly equipped torture dungeon made completely of concrete and metal shackles. The third of the four prisoners was most certainly the shortest of the them. She had brown and pink hair, one of her eyes pink and the other being brown. She had multiple cuts and bruises all throughout her body.

When the woman moved towards her prey the short girl shuddered in fear. She held up the chin of the small woman and bored into her eyes, distilling a sense of pure fear into her.

"HEY! What are you doing that for?!" The man next to her shouted. He was wearing a bowler hat and had his orange hair neatly kept in a way that hid one of his green eyes.

"Ah, so _you_ must be their leader." The woman said with a purr. She walked up to him and lashed him with her riding crop while simultaneously shocking the man in the stomach with the electrified police baton.

"Now, now. There is no need to do that! AAAAAAAH!" The man shouted in pain as the electricity coursed through him. Once she was finished, the orange-haired man began to speak once more.

"You know… you'd be a lot more likable if you didn't do that." He said in between pained gasps.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" She asked.

"I suppose it's my achilles heel." The man shot back.

"Fine, i'm going now." She said, any interesting in torturing her slaves lost.

Before she completely left the room, she gave her slaves one more statement to think on. "Soon I will meet the Courier, and if you all behave, you might just get to be _his_ slave, if I can convince him to buy from a slaver in the first place. I hear he's quite the kind man." The woman said as she walked out, giggling all the way.

Once she had left, the two soldiers began to talk with each other.

"Fuck she's scary." The one on the right said, shaking his head.

"You're telling me? I once saw her beat a man to death just because he was looking at her wrong. I swear, she's got something wrong up there." The man on the left said, pointing to his head.

"I just hope that she doesn't come after me one day." The guy on the right said as he shuddered in fear.

"As long as you do what you're told, and don't back talk her, you'll be fine." The man on the left said.

"So, how did you join the ranks?" The right man asked the left, as the prisoners continued to listen.

"Born in a vault that one of the expeditionary force found. They recruited the obedient vault dwellers and kids, killed those who didn't comply. I was just a kid back then, so I joined. Then the whole Project Purity fiasco happened, and due to the many casualties I was promoted from assistant to soldier. I even got to meet with the new colonel and President Eden himself! I got my power armor and now i'm here. What about you?" The man on the left asked.

"Already born into the ranks as a child. I was supposed to be the colonel Autumn's personal assistant. Due to his passing, I was pushed down to soldier due to the need for more able-bodied troops. I saw Liberty Prime in person, I escaped with my life. After that I joined back up because that was all I knew." The guy on the left said.

A man wearing an officer's uniform entered the torture room. He cringed at the sight of the bloody cell, and the beat up and disheveled prisoners. "Have any on the prisoner's been giving you two any trouble?" The officer asked with his arms crossed.

"No trouble. They've just stayed silent since the colonel left." The man on the right answered.

"Good. So, the colonel wanted me to ask you if either of you have taken a liking to any of the prisoners. So have you?" The officer asked, only to receive a negative shake of their heads. "Then I assume they will be sold off to the Courier." The officer said with a shrug, then quickly moving out of the room.

Once it was just the prisoners and the two guards in the cell, the man on the right gave the prisoners a message. "So… if you are lucky enough to get sold to the Courier, tell him 'The chicken has come to roost. He'll know what it means." The soldier said sternly.

"This place… this country. Its dead, make no mistake. However, there are some people who can build it back up. Not entirely, but to a certain point. The colonel? She's not one of those people." The man on the left said.

"We are going to be your guards until you are moved elsewhere." The man to the right said.

Courier Six

The sun was just starting to set as Six's group reached the Lucky 38. "So _this_ is the Lucky 38?" Adam asked, receiving a nod from the Courier.

"We will have _so_ much fun tonight!" Allice said, tightly hugging Adam from the side and giving him a warm kiss on the cheek.

"I can't wait to see Blake again…" Ilia said with a smile on her face.

"And I can't wait to see Raul." Sebastian signed.

"Yea, it'll be nice to see the gang again." Cass said, downing the last of another one of her bottles of whiskey.

"Yea…" Six said, leading them into the monolith of a tower. "Adam, I just want you to know before we arrive at the presidential suite. There are two Schnee's living here." Six said, only to see Adam's masked face contort with pure, unbridled rage.

"TWO. FUCKING. SCHNEE'S?!" Adam shouted in rage. Six glanced over at Ilia in the corner of his eye. She had a look of fear and worry in her eyes.

"Yes. I will make sure that they don't go anywhere near you, so long as you don't go near them." Six said, trying to calm the rage of the fuming bull fanus.

"You fucking better." Adam said with anger as he clenched his fists.

"Do you wish for me to kill them master Taurus?" Allice asked.

"No, if they die by _anyone's_ hand, it shall be mine." Adam said with absolution.

"Adam, if you need ANYTHING from me, please ask." Six said with sympathetic eyes as the doors to the elevator opened to the Presidential Suite to show Weiss Schnee, Arcade, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Veronica and Winter Schnee.

The look on Winter's face was mix of terror and pure anger, similar to Adam's just moments ago.

"YOU. BROUGHT. HIM?!" Winter shrieked as she ordered Weiss to her room.

"Adam? What are you doing here?" Blake asked as tears began to fall from her face as she began to back away.

"You. You took my _fucking_ arm." Yang said, her anger surfacing in her, as she realized just how evil the Courier truly was.

"Yang, give him a chance to explain himself." Veronica said, trying to give Adam the benefit of the doubt.

"NO! HE. TOOK. MY. ARM!" Yang shouted.

"I'll take off your other one." Adam said with a sneer. He took a stance, readying for combat.

"Adam, back off." Six ordered with a stern look on his face.

"No." Adam countered, dashing forward, not at Yang but rather, at Blake, only to be impeded by the Courier.

"Out of my way, _human_." Adam growled.

"Adam, I will only tell you once. My house, my rules." Six said, wanting for Adam to stand down peacefully.

"Fuck your rules, _human_." Adam said, putting more pressure on Wilt as the Courier sustained his defensive positioning over Blake. Adam was focusing purely on the Courier, which is why he didn't notice a baseball bat being swung at his head, knocking him out. As Adam fell to the ground, Yang walked over to Blake, surprised at Six's actions.

"You... you saved her." Yang said with disbelief.

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" Six asked, a bit confused at Yang's disbelief.

"Well, you've supported a woman who would have wanted us dead, so I assumed that you wanted us dead but didn't want to get your hands dirty." Yang said finally understanding what Veronica had been telling her the entire time. He wasn't a saint, but nor was he a demon. He was a virtuous middle between the two.

"So long as you don't try and kill me again, i'll make sure you are safe." Six said, leading both Yang and Blake to her room.

"Thanks Six…" Blake said with a downcase tone.

"What's the matter?" Six asked, softly petting her on the head.

"Adam, he hurt so many people, and I couldn't stop him. It doesn't help that I can't defeat him one on one." Blake said with sadness.

"Don't worry Blake, If it makes you feel any better, I can train you." Six said with a smile.

"Really?!" Blake asked with excited disbelief.

"Yea. We'll start tomorrow." Six said, walking out of the room, forgetting two _very_ pissed off sisters.

"You. You brought _him_. You brought him, _here_. Why?" Winter asked with rage and anger in her voice as she approached him with her sabers drawn.

"Look, I know what it looks like-" Six said, trying to reason with the enraged Schnee getting ever closer to him.

"Well it looks like you brought a fanus who wants our _fucking heads_ on a silver platter! And not to mention you brought him right to us! MIght as well have just killed us now!" Winter shouted, charging directly at the Courier. She stopped her blades inches to Six's neck.

"So you're not going to kill me?" Six asked, a bit surprised.

"No, not today Courier, but I am still going to hurt you, _badly_." Winter said with a confident smirk as she plunged her blade into his left leg. He drew Maria and fired repeatedly into Winter's shoulder. She recoiled in pain, slashing as Six's face. He dodged out of the way, sending off a pained groan as he felt a ting of pain course through his injured leg. He pulled out the blade and charged at her with katana in hand. Their blades clashed, with both combatants only having one weapon, they were evenly matched.

"You're quite skilled, Courier, but not skilled enough!" Winter shouted, trying to swipe Six off of his feet. However, the maneuver fell flat. The Courier kneed her in the stomach, stun locking her for a few seconds, giving Six the time to pin her to the ground.

"Looks like you aren't skilled _enough_ to beat me." Six said with a confident smirk.

"It appears so." Winter said with a defeated smirk.

"Don't do that again, ok?" Six asked, getting off of Winter as he dusted himself off.

"Fine, so long as you keep him away from the young ones." Winter said as she retrieved her weapons.

"Deal." Six said, shaking Winter's hand as they each walked to their respective rooms.

"How's Adam holding up?" Six asked as he approached the bed where he laid.

"He's doing just fine, no thanks to you!" Alice said with a huff and a crossing of her arms. Six exited the room to give Adam and his partner some personal space. She then began to softly comb through his hair with her fingers, tracing the outline of his horns with the tips of her fingers.

"I am going to protect you, Adam." Alice whispered into his ear as he slept.

"So, Cinder, shall we go to bed now? Its been a long day and I've been waiting to sleep in a real bed ever since we left for Zion." Six explained as he walked over to her as she sat on the bed.

"That sounds nice, Six." Cinder said with a smile as she equipped her sexy sleepwear and Six did the same, giving her a soft kiss on the lips as they both crashed on the bed, enjoying each other's warm and loving embrace. His eyes met hers as he gently gripped her head and held it to his chest as she hummed with pleasure.

Ilia and Sebastian just sat on there bed on the other side of the room staring with intense confusion as the fall maiden and the Courier continued to got at it.

"They are… uh, really going at it, huh?" Ilia asked, a bit nervous to say anything else.

"Must like each other. A LOT." Sebastian sighed as he took off his helmet and got ready for bed.

"Hey Sebastian… would you mind if I slept with you tonight?" Ilia asked, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"Not at all." Sebastian sighed as he help up the covers as Ilia crawled under the covers. She took the little spoon position as the two of them began to spoon, Ilia feeling the rising and falling of Sebastian's chest, his heat being shared with her as she nuzzled her head into his chest. She felt him drape his arm over her body, like a lioness protecting her cub.

Alice decided to take up temporary residency in Adam's bed as Unguis snuggled up next to Adam's sleeping head. She wrapped her arm around Adam as he slept, trying to get some heat from her master's body warmth.

As the three groups drifted off into sleep, the same could not be said for the other guests of the Lucky 38.

"Hey, Arcade… how did you get people to forgive the Enclave?" Weiss asked, wanting to figure out a way to reform the Schnee Dust Company.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Weiss. People never forgave the Enclave, and rightfully so. What I did, was I decided to reform _myself_ rather than the faction which I used to be a part of." Arcade answered.

"Really?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. If you truly wish to change anything, first you must change yourself, then change the group." Arcade said with a smile. "Now I think it's time to go to bed." Arcade said, climbing into his bed.

Winter on the other hand, was in an… interesting mood.

"Winter, are you ok?" Boone asked.

"Oh I'm just _glorious_! I just had a nice sparring match with the Courier after learning that someone who wishes my head was on a pike is living under the very same roof as me!" Winter said with passive-aggressive anger.

"Alright, I'm sure Six has something up his sleeve." Boone said, still keeping faith in the Courier. "You know he managed to convince Legate Lanius to back down and retreat." Boone explained, much to the shock of Winter.

"If you believe in him, then I will hold my displeasure for now." Winter said, crossing her arms with frustration.

"I can't help but notice that your 'sparring matches' with Six seem to be getting more and more competitive rather than intentionally lethal, is there a reason for that?" Boone asked, only to fluster the unusually stern and serious Atlesian Specialist.

"It is none of your concern." Winter said.

"You're taking a liking to him, aren't you?" Boone said, easily getting the better of Winter in his successful attempt at a tease.

"I most certainly do not!" Winter shouted in protest.

"Love works in mysterious ways." Boone said, hiding the smirk from his face as he took to his bed.

Winter only blushed, and went to bed. 'He does have a striking resemblance to Qrow in some ways, his recklessness, his confidence, and most of all, his skill. However, he did not have Qrow's entire package, so she would still be aiming for Qrow, and not this infuriating Courier.'

"Blake, are you ok?" Yang asked as the two of them were joined by Raul and Veronica.

"Y-yea, I'm fine. It's just… Adam." Blake said, shaking slightly as she took a seat on her bed.

"What about him?" Raul asked, standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed and a very serious look on his face.

"He's my ex-boyfriend and previous mentor. When I left him, he vowed to find me, my friends, kill them, then kill me." Blake said, shaking furiously with fear.

"Well, so long as you have your friends, Veronica and I, you're safe." Raul said, palming his revolver.

"Thanks, Raul." Blake said, calming down a bit.

"So, what do you indent to do about this?" Veronica asked.

"I'll talk to Six. He can see reason." Blake said. "I'll ask him why Adam's here and do my best to avoid him so that there aren't any more conflicts." Blake explained.

"Good idea, get some sleep, Veronica and I will stand watch for tonight." Raul said.

"Thanks." Blake said as she and Yang got into bed for the night.

The sun rose the next day, as Six stretched his arms in his bed, Cinder rising with sleepy eyes as she started her morning routine. She went over to the bathroom and began to brush her teeth and wash her face. Next, she took a quick, hot shower and got out of the bathroom with her outfit on. By this time, Six was up and waiting for her. They both walked over to the restaurant, finding Blake, Yang, and a very sleepy Veronica and Raul.

"Hey boss, how have you been keeping up?" Raul said, rubbing his eyes.

"I've been doing well, you on the other hand… not looking so well. Did you get any sleep?" The Courier asked.

"No, I didn't." Raul answered, taking a swig of some coffee.

"How about you, Veronica?" Six asked, turning to the now drowsy scribe.

"Same as Raul." Veronica said with a yawn.

"Six, I need to ask you something." Blake said with a determined look on her face, quite intent on getting a straight answer from the Courier.

"What is it?" Six asked, taking a bite from his biscuit.

"I need to know why Adam is here." Blake said, crossing her arms.

"He asked to join me here, so I let him. He was a part of the Legion, and for some reason or another, Joshua decided it would be best to let him live. I felt kinda bad for him so I decided to take him under my wing." Six explained as he drank some Nuka-Cola.

"Are you going to try and change him?" Blake asked with hope in her voice.

"I'll do my best. From what Joshua told me, he wasn't that indoctrinated into a Legion mind-set. He did however, have a very anti-human sentiment before hand. That is what I am going to try and reform. Do you have any knowledge on how such a sentiment grew?" Six asked the young cat fanus.

"I don't know anything about his past, he kept that to himself." Blake said as she held her head low.

"Hm. That could be a problem… or an advantage." Six said as a confident smirk grew on his face.

"How could ignorance be an advantage?" Weiss asked as she and Arcade joined the group.

"Well, if you don't know much about a person, you are forced to learn about them from their point of view, rather than from a secondary source. If I can get Adam to accept a basic fact that Faunus and Humans aren't that different, then I could convince him to lay off of you, your sister, and Blake. From what I was able to get from his when he was traveling with us back to the Lucky 38, he is skilled in combat and admires strength over all else." Six said as he finished his breakfast.

"And how will that get Adam Taurus off of us?" Winter asked, following her younger sister into the restaurant.

"If I can cement my position as the more powerful person in the Lucky 38, including Adam, then he should follow my commands, and not attack any of you." Six said, rubbing his temple in frustration.

"And how might you accomplish that?" Winter asked, pressing the Courier for more answers.

"Two sparring matches. The first is where I will gauge his power. I will not pull out all of the stops, only using what is necessary to get _him_ to reveal his trump cards. The second one will be where I _actually_ fight him, I will defeat him then and hopefully he will become less hostile to y'all." Six said, getting up from his seat.

As they moved on to idle chatter, Ilia and Adam had awoke from their resting places and started to chat within the room.

"So, Ilia, what is this human called the Courier like?" Adam asked as Unguis walked into his lap and curled up in a ball, finding comfort in his master's protective aura that he emitted.

"I can't say for sure, I only met him about a day before you, but from what Sebastian told me, he isn't too fond of generals and he can be a very strong fighter, but how strong exactly, I don't know." Ilia said.

"Hm, then I propose a mock battle to gauge his strength. Through this, I can see if he is worthy of my ears." Adam said as Alice began to rise from his bed. Sebastian also rose from Ilia's bed as their conversation finished.

ED-E floated over to Adam and motioned towards a note that was hastily scribbled on the door. He walked up to it and read it out loud.

"Meet at the conference room on floor 45 by 12:00 noon." Adam read as he crumpled the note up and threw it into the small trashcan that was by the door. Adam looked up at the clock. 'Hm, it's 11:30' Adam thought. "We should get going." Adam said as he led Allice, Ilia, and Sebastian, along with Unguis, Fizz, and ED-E towards the elevator.


	16. Notice

This is a quick update so that all of my readers can be informed as to the process at which I create and publish my chapters.

First, I write up the chapter, usually setting a goal of 8k-9k words per chapter. Usually after that I send it to my beta reader, who, for sake of privacy will remain anonymous. Depending on how long it is and how accurate the characters are portrayed depends how long until I receive the edited copy. Finally I read over it one or two more times to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors. Once that is finished I upload the chapter and publish it.

Because I have a beta reader, sometimes unforeseen events come up and interrupt that editing process. Please be patient for the chapters to come out. I'm just putting this up so that you all know the entire situation.


	17. Another Notice

Hey guys, here again with another notice. I am going to start looking for a beta reader due to the long amount of time my current beta reader is taking to review chapter 16. If you think you can help, just send me a message through and we can exchange email so that I can send you the chapter to review and help edit.

Sorry for the delay, guys.

P.S. here's a link to my forum myforums/TrinityVex34/8814896/


	18. Apology and Going forward

Hello guys, I have good news and bad news

first, the bad news. Unfortunately I won't be able to continue this fic, due to its original editor not responding for more than a month. I will still keep it up, for those of you who like it, but it will no longer be updated.

The good news? I'm going to be rewriting Sand Blood and Fire, it will have a few of the characters from the first rewrite (Cinder of course being one of them) and I will be adding some other characters from RWBY (The show not the team) by replacing them with those who I feel shouldn't be in the Mojave.

I'm sorry guys :(


	19. Update 3

Hey guys, as you already know, _this_ version of Sand Blood and Fire, is discontinued, but that does not mean that I have given up on the story. I have a very skilled beta-reader working with me to make _every_ chapter amazing and yes, I have been working on the first chapter for quite a while now, I wanted it to be a different introduction chapter to get the newcomers to stick around, and something refreshing and new for those who have been with me since the beginning or those who joined me for this second version.

My vision is still the same, and so is my aim, I thank you all for being so patient with me and if you need something to hold you over, my beta-reader, JKrlin, story called _To Begin Again_. Its also a Fallout and RWBY crossover.


	20. STORY UP!

The first chapter of the new Sand, Blood, and Fire is up! Its rated M, and has the Courier, Cinder, Adam, and Ilia character tags. I hope you guys enjoy it!


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